Self-Esteem | One-Eighty

Something everyone has struggled with at some point in their lives. But what actually is self-esteem and how does it affect you?

Broken down, the word ?esteem? refers to something or someone that is important, special or has a certain value. For example, if you really admire your friend?s brother because he volunteers at the local hospital, it means you hold him in high esteem. And ?self? simply refers to yourself as the subject. The dictionary defines it as ?a feeling or pride in yourself.? You can?t touch it, smell it, see, taste or hear it and yet it can have a huge impact on how you feel.

Here at One-Eighty, we focus on building up the self-esteem of the young people we work with in addition to maintaining positive self-esteem within our own team. Why? Because it?s important to know who you are, what you are and are not so good at, and the different aspects you can improve on. It?s not about being perfect, because nobody is. Nor is it about comparing yourself to others, but it?s about being confident in who you are and striving to like yourself for that reason. A positive mind-set equals a positive outset. Of course you need to be realistic in your achievements and learn that failure isn?t always a negative thing ? you can learn from mistakes which builds upon your character.

Having high levels of self-esteem enables you to respect yourself and equally gain respect from adults and peers. How do we get this? Well, it begins from childhood where as a baby you are praised for your achievements through verbal encouragement, body language and facial expressions. As you grow older, these become more conscious to you and you are able to understand the praise given to you and therefore channel it towards something. This may be when you?ve completed a piece of work, you?re praised for your efforts which in turn gives you a sense of pride in yourself.

In order to maintain or boost self-esteem it is important to try out the following:

- Make a list of things you are good at.

- Accept compliments given to you by saying ?thank you? and not dismissing them.

- Respect who you are and remember there are some things you cannot change.

- Get involved in a hobby that you enjoy.

- Spend time with people who encourage you and you have fun in their company.

- If you?re a parent or teacher, make a rewards chart with your child to visually praise them for their achievements.

Part of growing up is about learning to accept who you are, focus on the positives and learn from the negatives. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses but it?s about how we channel them that?s important. Below is a link to Gok Wan?s documentary on teenage life and the effects of negative self-esteem on their behaviour. Take a look.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/goks-teens-the-naked-truth/4od#3306650

Source: http://one-eighty.org.uk/self-esteem/

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