A common trait of successful and optimistic women is a positive attitude towards life. The way you feel about yourself by creating in your own mind an image of yourself can have great impact on your life. Self-image and positive attitude are two fundamentals of self-esteem. We commonly hear that self-esteem is really important. But, actually, what is self-esteem? And how can we find a way to increase our self-esteem?

Basically, self-esteem is the overall evaluation of ourselves in terms of both positive and negative. Sometimes, Self-esteem is also stated as a “trait” meaning how you feel about yourself or a “state of being” meaning how you are feeling right now about yourself. Self-esteem is your opinion about yourself, but it also affects how you see other people. People with good self-esteem admire themselves and their achievements.

A positive attitude comes from positive thinking towards life. Positive attitude is based on the trust that your struggles and capabilities allow allow you to reach your goals.

Unfortunately, our world has generated a prevalence of low self-esteem among many women. We compare ourselves to when we were younger, thinner, or worse, to images of youth and beauty through media and increasing, damn good filters on Facebook or Instagram!  This can affect our lives in almost every aspect, from the way we think about ourselves or the way we react towards our life or situations we faced. Negative thoughts come from within us or from our surroundings, but when these thoughts prevail or become dominant in us, it results adversely in the way we feel about ourselves. In addition, it also starts dominating all our life experiences.

Low self-esteem can reduce our quality of life in many different ways and can actually lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Moreover, low esteem can lead to feeling fear in trying new things, or may affect our relationships, both towards women and men.  In its worst form, low self-esteem engenders a low resilience to life’s ordinary obstacles and can lead you to feel hopeless, and even potentially put yourself at an increased risk of self-harm. Just remember you are not alone.  We are here and we care.

Low-self-esteem can be treated. There are many ways to boost your self-esteem. But remember, it takes patience and daily practice to boost your self-esteem. Various studies suggest a range of approaches that can help you. Some of them are:

Try to write down all your achievements you accomplished, the things you are good at, the things that make you happy.  Or just start with a few things that you’re most proud of. One important thing while listing your successes are to avoid perfectionism in your success as this can prevent you from focusing on the things you have accomplished.

While identifying your achievements, it is also necessary that you must be kind to yourself. There’s a simple question to ask yourself: how will you treat someone who is close to you when she is facing a tough time? The answer to this question is all you need as a reminder to treat yourself with same kind of respect and care – simply be kind to yourself.

CBT has been shown effective in people who have a negative dysfunctional approach towards themselves and the world around them. In CBT, a therapist helps to change the cognitions about the situations positively.

In conclusion, self-esteem is important for your own happiness, but if you are feeling low then there are many ways you can do to boost your self-esteem and take better steps towards your life.  Remember, we’re here for you and we’re listening!