7 Ideas for Building Self-Esteem

If you have felt out of sorts lately, it may have to do with your self-esteem. Factors such as bullying, abuse, trauma, negative self-talk, neglect, or prejudice can contribute to low self-esteem. Building self-esteem is critical for your emotional and mental well-being.

Why Building Self-Esteem is Critical

Although several factors can lead to low self-esteem, knowing who you are and how valuable you are to yourself, your loved ones, your community, and God is the basis of a healthy mental state. When you value yourself and perceive your worth, you build emotional resilience and do not feel as pressured by societal ideals.

If your self-esteem is low, then you might:

• Compromise on your values.
• Stay in a toxic relationship.
• Compare yourself to others.
• Make rash decisions or struggle to make commitments.
• Never take risks.
• Struggle with body image, depression, and anxiety.
• Struggle to achieve goals.
• Let yourself go, including personal hygiene and health.

Building self-esteem will positively affect your physical, emotional, and mental health. As you realize that you were made in the image and likeness of God, the belief that you are a co-heir to Christ’s kingdom and a son or daughter of the King, your confidence will soar.

What if low self-esteem were no longer a barrier, and you knew in your heart that opportunities were available to you and doors were open that no man could shut if it were God’s will? Start by building self-esteem and shifting your mindset and beliefs.

Ideas for Building Self-Esteem

Building self-esteem takes practice. You may need to replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations, mantras, and beliefs. You will need to challenge your own thoughts and limiting beliefs. Your behavior will need to change to reflect confidence by adopting new actions.

Although not mentioned in the list below, reading and studying the Bible can help you identify as a son or daughter of God. Accepting that you are worthy to Jesus, who died and rose again for you, you will walk a little differently. You will lean into a new identity and purpose.

Read below for more ideas for building self-esteem.

Practice daily affirmations Daily affirmations help to reframe and replace negative thoughts and beliefs. If you believe something about yourself, you may view it as true even if it is not. For example, if you were told by a parent growing up that you were unattractive, you may view yourself this way decades later. It has become a “truth” or belief you have about yourself.

Write down affirmations you can use to disarm the weapons of negative words and thoughts. Instead of thinking, “I’ve always been unattractive,” you can say, “I am beautiful inside and out to myself and the right people because God made me in His image and likeness.” Repeat your daily affirmations in the morning as you are getting dressed. Eventually, you will begin to believe it.

Prioritizing self-care Low self-esteem can pull us inward and destroy our motivation to care for ourselves. Maybe we don’t see a reason to dress in our best clothing or take the time to shower. We may not see a point if we have been verbally beaten down. Yet, we are worth the effort and time. We have been given a body to care for while on this earth. The best way to do this is to prioritize self-care.

If it has been a while since you nurtured yourself, you may need to overcome limiting beliefs that putting your own needs first is selfish or a waste of time. Reframe those thoughts, then choose a self-care task to practice every day for a week to build the habit.

For example, take the time to have a luxurious shower, shampoo your hair, and wash your face with a suitable cleanser. When you get out, use body lotion all over. Once you start caring for your body, you will notice a change in yourself. You will hold your head a little higher. Think about other tasks you can implement.

Gain confidence through healthy eating Ultra-processed food can lead to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, affecting your physical health. The weight gain can also trigger mental health conditions like depression and social anxiety.

Gain your confidence back by choosing healthier foods 90% of the time. Self-esteem skyrockets when we do things for our bodies that will help us stay healthy and move freely. Eating nutritious foods is the answer to building self-esteem without too much effort.

Plan a healthy menu of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for six days a week, allowing yourself one or two meals once a week to indulge in those treats. You will see a difference in your physical and cognitive health, making following a healthy eating plan much easier.

Spend time outdoors Too many of us, especially during the winter months or in locations where it is overcast, do not get enough Vitamin D exposure naturally. Vitamin D is critical for boosting hormones in the brain, like serotonin, which helps you feel good. Vitamin D fights depression and anxiety and lifts your mood.

Try walking outdoors daily, first thing in the morning or during your lunch break. Run errands on foot or park your car in the furthest spot in the lot and walk to your destination. If you have a porch, stoop, or balcony, decorate it, and make it comfortable to sit outside when the weather is appropriate.

Record your blessings An excellent practice for building self-esteem is to manage negative beliefs by focusing on your blessings. It is hard to entertain negative self-talk if you are thanking God for your blessings. Think of recording these in a journal you can carry with you, and when you feel unsure or less than confident, pull out your journal and record your blessings for the day or week.

If you have trouble thinking of what you have to be grateful for, thank God for another day, your breathing, your physical health, your family, your shelter, and your job. Take the things in your life you take for granted and recognize how blessed you are, despite feelings of low self-esteem at times. Remember, there are always people who would do anything to have what you have and live your life.

Face your giants We have all faced problems and reacted in a way we feel ashamed about now. Maybe we did not have the resources at the time, were too young and naïve, or were just too afraid to speak up.

Like the movie Facing The Giants, we must learn to face the giants in our lives with faith and courage. Suffering, faith, and courage produce perseverance, and perseverance produces character. Character produces hope, and we can have confidence in that hope.

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4, NIV) Go to God about your worries, anxieties, and fears. Ask Him for wisdom and discernment on how to face these giants. Ask Him to help you build your confidence in Him and your self-esteem as one of His chosen.

Don’t compare yourself to others Comparison is a breeding ground for discontent and low self-esteem. Have you ever picked up a magazine, flipped through it, and felt terrible? You might have been comparing your body, clothing, appearance, or home to those you saw.

Social media is another catalyst for comparison. People often forget that others post well-curated pictures and highly filtered images for likes, subscribers, and comments on their platforms.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Remember that most people are only showing you the filtered versions of themselves. Keep your mind focused on what God wants you to do, care for what you have, and improve your physical and mental health.

Do you need help with personal development?

Do you need help building self-esteem, setting goals, overcoming negative self-talk, or personal development? Contact our center today to schedule an appointment with a Christian counselor to discuss how prioritizing your mental health can boost your confidence and self-esteem.