After a year of pandemic-related grievances, the self-esteem of the UK population is likely at rock bottom. Social relationships may have lost some shine, and your overall sense of purpose may be somewhat muddled.
Try to realise that you’re not a lost cause. No matter how many setbacks you’ve experienced, be they personal or professional, there’s always another way you can approach things to get your life back on track.
Your self-esteem is a key area that requires your attention. Are you constantly doubting yourself? Do you fear that things won’t get better? Are small insecurities beginning to overwhelm you? If you’re facing any of these problems, read on for some suggestions on how to resolve them.
Read Around the Problem
Self-esteem can often be referred to casually and colloquially. However, it can all tie into your mental wellbeing and ultimately have serious ramifications on your quality of life.
Improving your self-esteem is a big undertaking. Therefore, before embarking on this journey, it’s vital to make sure that you’re suitably educated first. You can do this by:
- Researching what mind charities say about self-esteem and what its causes can be, as well as utilising their support services and identifying the source of your struggle.
- Consulting a therapist on the challenges you’re experiencing and gaining their input on resolving matters.
- Asking friends and family about their own experiences with self-esteem, providing they are comfortable to open up and share.
- Investigating inspirational or informative stories in the media about how people encountered the problem and ultimately overcame it.
Being suitably informed is vital when it comes to building your self-esteem. Otherwise, your efforts may be aimless, or you may gravely underestimate the magnitude of what you’re dealing with. Build a foundation of education first, and then expand your approach to improving things from there.
Learn New Skills
Learning new skills might seem like a tedious endeavour at first. Still, depending on how you frame things in your mind, it could significantly impact your life.
For example, gardening is an excellent pastime for those who feel at a loss with themselves. Nurturing life, bettering the environment, sticking to a productive routine – all these things can bolster your mood and help you find purpose in your daily life. Moreover, activities like these can help you realise your value not only to yourself but also to the world around you.
Other self-esteem enhancing skills include learning a new language or instrument. Even beating a video game in the most challenging difficulty may give you a fleeting feeling of accomplishment. Keep your brain busy, keep improving yourself in any way you see fit, and your self-esteem will slowly build boost after boost.
Play to Your Strengths
Trying new things can be advantageous and enlightening. However, you shouldn’t necessarily abandon what you’re good at either.
Play to your strengths in your life. If you love to create art, cook, or consider yourself proficient in any number of other activities, then stay in touch with those skills. Efforts like cooking and baking can fill enormous voids in your life as you whip up some comfort foods and serve tasty treats. Ultimately, it’s important to lean into what you do best, so don’t shy away from ‘going back to basics’ in whatever form that takes.
It may also help to reflect on feedback from past accomplishments. If you received praise in academia in your career, collate it into a portfolio that sings your praises. You can do this in anticipation of any other self-doubting moments in the future as well. If you can’t be your own biggest fan right now, let others encourage you instead.
If you’re good at something, consider imparting those skills to a friend or family member. What seems familiar and played out to you may be a brand-new learning opportunity for someone else. Their interest may reignite your passion and pride in the things you love as well.
Acquire Cosmetic Upgrades
Cosmetic upgrades to your person can be massively beneficial. This isn’t about picking away at minor flaws and imperfections but instead improving on what’s already there.
If you want your teeth straightened, then the multi-disciplinary team at Fulham Road Dental can help. Additionally, whether you need Invisalign, veneers, root canal treatment and more, this specialist team will oversee every detail to ensure you’re smiling in a carefree fashion once again. If that’s not enough, they also offer free smile reviews so that you can preview what your potential new smile might look like. Visit this dentist in Fulham, or one just like it near you, for quality dental care.
Don’t change yourself out of self-hatred, or you may spiral and alter yourself beyond recognition. However, do realise that minor imperfections in your appearance shouldn’t cast such a long shadow over your life. Change your wardrobe, get a new haircut, or overhaul your makeup – all these methods can give you a lift and coax you out of your shell.
