Activities to Raise Self-Esteem

Low self-esteem could be triggered by negative comments, self-talk or a general sense of discontent with your current situation. Changing the way you think will help remove poisonous thoughts that have contaminated your mind for years, advises mayoclinic.com. Practicing thought-changing techniques will help alter the way that you see yourself on a daily basis.

Positive Self-Talk

• Close your eyes and imagine the last time you had low self-esteem. Write down the feelings associated with the negative self-esteem, such as feelings of loneliness or hurt. Then write down the reality of the situation--friends or family who care about you and positive things about yourself. Write the positive attributes on index cards and carry them around with you. When low self-esteem hits, say the listed attributes out loud. This practice helps to change your way of thinking.

Exercise

• Moving the body every day can help to improve your self-esteem, according to athealth.com. Find something you enjoy, such as hiking, swimming or biking. Take dance or rock-climbing lessons. Doing something active that you enjoy will help you begin to feel strong. Even taking a 30-minute walk will decrease stress and help raise self-esteem.

Set Small Goals

• The Health Resources and Service Administration states that a feeling of accomplishment comes with setting small goals and achieving them. Write down the goals you want to accomplish each day. These goals could include exercising, eating vegetables, writing a page in a novel or paying three bills. Completing the smallest of goals will help provide you with a feeling of accomplishment.

Identify Toxic Situations

• Make a list of the events or relationships that lower your self-esteem. Many times, low self-esteem can result from a negative change or relationships, suggests mayoclinic.com. If some friendships encourage low self-esteem, make a list of how to communicate this to the person. If no communication will help the toxicity, spend less time with this friend. If your job encourages low self-esteem, see if you have the ability to change departments or jobs.

Dress Up

• Wearing nice clothes can help change your perspective for the day, according to athealth.com. Spend an extra thirty minutes in the morning to dress up and look professional. Then, when you walk out the door, you may start to feel better about the way you look and be ready to face the world. If you cannot afford department store clothes, shop at thrift or consignment stores.