6 Tips to Improve Your Self Worth
A strong sense of self-worth is essential – with it, you understand the value you hold as a human being. When a person experiences a strong sense of self-worth, they believe in themselves, appreciate themselves, and respect themselves precisely the way they are.
A healthy sense of self-worth serves as a solid internal motivator. A person who feels worthy is more likely to take risks, express themselves, and explore the world around them. If you feel like your own sense of self-worth is low, it is possible to strengthen it.
Tip 1: Identify the negative thoughts you have about yourself and replace them with more positive self-talk.
If you tend to be a negative thinker, your negative thoughts about yourself may be so ingrained in your daily living that they’re hard to identify. Because they happen frequently, you accept them as truth without questioning or exploring them.
Pay close attention to your thoughts and identify the most negative ones. Take a moment to examine your negative thoughts about yourself for any falsehoods, assumptions, or anxiety – you will likely discover that the negative thoughts you have about yourself are usually not rooted in actual fact!
Once you identify what makes negative thinking untrue, replace it with something more truthful and positive. This practice can take time to perfect, but consistency is vital. Start with one negative thought and repeat the process until you’ve dismantled and rebuilt your thinking habits about yourself.
Tip 2: Start giving yourself some kudos and recognition when you do something right or well.
Encouragement and recognition are fantastic ways to improve your self-worth. While getting compliments and kudos from other people feels excellent, hearing those same sentiments from yourself creates a more profound positive effect.
Practice giving yourself kudos and recognition whenever you do something right or well. Did you ace that presentation? Congratulate yourself. Were you able to figure out that tricky problem at work? Good job. Did you finally finish that one task you’ve been procrastinating over for days? Excellent. No matter how big or small the task, give yourself some kind words.
Tip 3: Surround yourself with people who radiate kindness and positivity.
The people you spend most of your time with significantly affect your self-worth and general attitude. If you spend most of your time with negative people, you will probably begin adopting their negative attitudes.
In contrast, if you surround yourself with people who radiate kindness and positivity, you will see those traits reflect in yourself more. Hanging out with a happier, more upbeat crowd can work wonders for your self-worth.
Positive people are generally more supportive and encouraging; receiving that kind of support regularly from others makes it easier for you to recognise the same worth they see on your own.
Tip 4: Practice setting and enforcing your boundaries with other people.
You are worthy of feeling comfortable. If other people try to push against you and coerce you into doing something that makes you feel uneasy or uncomfortable, a great way to improve your sense of self-worth is to set and enforce your boundaries with them.
Setting and enforcing boundaries can feel awkward – you may even feel like expressing yourself and being truthful is too hurtful. However, it’s essential to understand that your boundaries are important and that you are worth being respected by others.
Tip 5: Identify your strengths and work toward refining them.
All people have their own unique sets of strengths and weaknesses. If you tend to focus on your weaknesses, change your mindset to focus on what strengths you possess instead.
As you identify your specific strengths, figure out new ways to develop and improve them. By focusing your attention on what you do well, you can feel your self-worth grow.
Tip 6: If you struggle to feel confident in yourself, try faking it ‘til you make it.
It may seem silly, but if you’re struggling to feel confident in yourself, try faking the confidence until it begins to feel real. You may feel awkward while doing this, but it’s a great way to get yourself “into character.” After a while, you’ll notice that you no longer feel like you’re having to fake your way through feeling confident in a particular situation – your acting skills will morph into genuine confidence in your ability to handle a situation!
Pretending that you’re feeling confident and going through the motions fools your brain into thinking you are already doing it. As you act more confident, your brain doesn’t see it as acting or pretending – it only sees it as you doing the activity.
