7 Ways to Boost Your Self-Esteem Quickly

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7 Ways to Boost Your Self-Esteem Quickly

- By Elliott

If you're tired of feeling bad about yourself, or just want some tips for those

down days, these 7 practical strategies will help you take action to lift your

self esteem.

1) Think back to when you did something new for the first time.

Learning something new is often accompanied by feelings of nervousness, lack of

self belief and high stress levels, all of which are necessary parts of the

learning process. The next time you feel under-confident, remembering this will

remind you that it's perfectly normal - you're just learning!

2) Do something you have been putting off.

Like writing or calling a friend, cleaning the house, tidying the garden, fixing

the car, organizing the bills, making a tasty and healthy meal - anything that

involved you making a decision, then following through!

3) Do something you are good at.

Examples? How about swimming, running, dancing, cooking, gardening, climbing,

painting, writing. If possible, it should be something that holds your attention

and requires enough focus to get you into that state of 'flow' where you forget

about everything else. You will feel more competent, accomplished and capable

afterwards, great antidotes to low self esteem!

And while you're at it, seriously consider doing something like this at least

once a week. People who experience 'flow' regularly seem to be happier and

healthier.

4) Stop thinking about yourself!

I know this sounds strange, but low self esteem is often accompanied by too much

focus on the self. Doing something that absorbs you and holds your attention can

quickly make you feel better.

5) Get seriously relaxed.

If you are feeling low, anxious or lacking in confidence, the first thing to do

is to stop thinking and relax properly. Some people do this by exercising,

others by involving themselves in something that occupies their mind. However,

being able to relax yourself when you want is a fantastic life skill and so

practicing self hypnosis, meditation, or a physically-based relaxation technique

such as Tai Chi can be incredibly useful.

When you are properly relaxed, your brain is less emotional and your memory for

good events works better. A great 'rescue remedy'!

6) Remember all the things you have achieved.

This can be difficult at first, but after a while, you'll develop a handy mental

list of self-esteem boosting memories. And if you're thinking " But I've never

achieved anything " , I'm not talking about climbing Everest here.

Things like passing your driving test (despite being nervous), passing exams

(despite doubting that you would), playing team sport, getting fit (even if you

let it slip later), saving money for something, trying to help someone (even if

it didn't work) and so on.

7) Remember that you could be wrong!

If you are feeling bad about yourself, remember that you way you feel affects

your thoughts, memory and behavior. So when you feel bad, you will only remember

the bad times, and will tend to be pessimistic about yourself. This is where the

tip 'Get Seriously Relaxed' comes in!

Summary

Once you have tried out a few of these, consider making them a permanent part of

your life. For most people, good self esteem is not just a happy accident, it's

a result of the way they think and the things they do from day to day. Good

Luck!

About the Author: Elliott is a therapist, trainer and author of the Free

Self Confidence Course, a 6-week practical email guide to improving your

confidence and self esteem provided from his website:

http://www.self-confidence.co.uk Contact: relliott@...

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*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

" Breathe deep, walk slow, hold tight to those you love, for the sun is

setting and it will be over so fast. "

-- Ken Pierpont

Be blessed my friend,

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