Signs of High Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is how you honestly feel about yourself, including your positive and negative qualities. The opinion we have about ourselves starts in childhood with the relationships we have with family and friends, and it is continuously shaped throughout our lives. A negative, overly critical environment can cause poor self-esteem, a feeling that you are not good enough and your opinion means little. Too much praise, or overcompensation for a lack of it can lead to overly high self-esteem, which can come across as arrogance. Healthy, secure or high self-esteem lies between the two.

Self-acceptance

• People with healthy, high self-esteem accept who they are, the positive and the negative. This leads, not only, to a general feeling of happiness, but also one of comfort and strength where you don't feel threatened. Those with low self-esteem often feel threatened and feel they need to constantly defend themselves verbally as well as promote themselves to those around them. So, while a self-confident person would not react to some negative feedback or comments, one with low self-esteem may become overly defensive and feel the need to start listing all their past accomplishments and strengths.

Fewer Mental Health Conditions

• Having high self-esteem means that you do not need to fill voids in your life or escape from reality through eating disorders or addictions to alcohol, cigarettes, sex or other destructive habits. You also are less prone to the depression and feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness that accompany low self-esteem because you value yourself and have a realistic opinion about your abilities so you can accomplish what you want. With high self-esteem, the future looks bright.

Confident

• With high self-esteem you understand your worth, know the value of your opinions and don't need outside approval. This builds an inner strength and leads to confidence in your actions and in the decisions you make, ones that are the best for you but are not selfish. You don't need to look around for permission or agreement from another person when deciding how to answer an opinion question, ordering dinner, deciding what to wear or, more importantly, making the bigger decisions in life. Confidence also gives you the strength to ask for what you believe you are entitled to in a job or in a relationship.

Honest Relationships

• People with high self-esteem find themselves in healthy, honest relationships. An honest relationship is one where you grow as a person, which means a partner who is not a "yes man" who says what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear. Also, having high self-esteem means that you won't settle for less or allow another person to walk all over you; you express your needs and opinions honestly and if they are not accepted or respected, you have the strength to get out of the relationship.