Self-esteem reflects your overall emotional evaluation of your own worth. Low self esteem results from a lack of seeing your worth, or seeing anything good in your self. It can result from seeing yourself in the light of your weaknesses and not acknowledging your strengths. Your worth comes from God who loves you.
The following will help you defeat low self esteem:
1. Realize that your battle is in your mind:
If you win the battle in your mind, you are set! Do not accept all the negative thoughts about yourself that may flood your mind. The truth is, you are not that bad. When those negative thoughts about how awful you are come up, cast them down. Learn to change wrong narratives that may be in your head.The Bible says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. God made you for a reason and no matter what you have gone through, your experiences you not define you as a person. Read uplifting books. Read the Bible. God made you and God is always right. God did not make a bad product.
2. Watch your associations:
Are your friends a people who do not see the good in anything, let alone themselves, or you? Well, it is time to make new ones. Are you in an abusive relationship? Seek help, get out! Do your friends put you down? Then they do not deserve to be your friends. Do your parents tell you, that you will never amount to anything? Do not internalize that message; do not let it sink into your heart (This is where the scriptures help). Start to associate with people who will lift you up. Im not talking about surrounding yourself with flatterers or “yes-men”. I am talking about true friend who see you for who you are and still see the good in you. Your associations can make or break you.
3. Self-care:
If you suffer with low self esteem chances are that you have neglected yourself in some way somewhere along the line. Take care of your health, exercise, eat right, lose weight if you need to. Take a class that interests you. Develop some new hobbies to take your mind off you. Go out, visit new places. If you are overwhelmed in life, try to squeeze out a vacation. Get some new clothes (they do not have to break the bank). It is vital that you make self care part and parcel of your whole life. When you look good, you feel good. Taking care of your body helps you look good.
4. Be careful what you say:
Watch your mouth! No more fat jokes (I just look at food and get fat); no more poor jokes (I am so broke I cannot even pay attention); no more dumb jokes (I am such an idiot). Call those things that are not as though they are! Say what you want to see in your life: I am God’s product and God is not wrong; my metabolism works great; I am smart; I call myself rich according to the Word of God; I shall never be broke; I don’t desire to eat so much; I esteem myself as God esteems me; etc, etc, etc. If you have to write down a daily confession of faith or affirmation, do it. Low self esteem is not humility, it is humiliation.
5. Learn to love you:
Accept the love of God, learn to love yourself. Yes, we know you have issues but, who doesn’t? Only when you love yourself, through accepting God’s love, will you have the strength to change whatever behavior or habit it is about yourself that you do not like. There is no better you than you, so, love you. Loving yourself does not mean that you hate others or become arrogant. You are God’s child, God loves you, so, love you.
6. Help somebody out:
When you make strides, help other people with their struggles. Chances are that as you focus on other people you will focus on yourself less. Helping another person will also help you feel better about yourself as you bring solutions to your world. As you help others, God will cause help to come your way in various forms. Remember, deeds are seeds.
7. Seek counseling:
If you are depressed, in over your head, seek help from a trusted friend, a pastor, counselor, life coach, doctor, or someone who has been there before. You do not have to struggle alone.
In what ways have you learned to overcome low self-esteem?
