One of the most common struggles people experience that can affect their emotional intimacy in relationships is low self-esteem. It is a concept that people tend to forget about despite being laid out in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. When we embrace our human mistakes and have a more positive outlook on our own self, our self-esteem meter tends to increase. This positive shift in how we view ourselves can enhance not just our mental well-being, but also our relationships, motivation, and ability to form deep emotional connections.
People are usually not taught about the concept of self-esteem and may not really think about it, other than considering that they have lower self-esteem than others. It is crucial to reflect on our self-esteem from time to time to allow room for reflection and further growth or personal growth in relationship.
Growth can happen when we begin to notice moments where we can increase love for ourselves and practice self-acceptance. The more we love ourselves, the more likely we are to feel good about ourselves. Loving ourselves is attainable by being more focused on our strengths rather than our weaknesses or past mistakes, but it does not mean you think of yourself as perfect!
Here are seven things you can implement this upcoming week to increase your self-esteem over time:
- Focus on the strengths you had shine through this week.
- Relive the successes you had (a date, work, financial decisions, relationship accomplishment, goal).
- Keep track of your strengths or accomplishments of the week so you can review the list often.
- Humanize your mistakes by reminding yourself that everyone makes mistakes by saying it out loud.
- Reflect on the positives you hear from others about yourself.
- Avoid the “should have done/said” when replaying situations.
- Acknowledge yourself when you do something that takes effort.
Try implementing these strategies and begin noticing the differences that you may feel in increasing your self-love and, as a result, your self-esteem.
If you are looking forward to increasing your self-esteem and breaking negative thought patterns, reach out to me via our contact form and I can help.