How to boost your self-esteem in 4 easy steps
| 2 min read
Take a minute and think about how you would rate your self-esteem on a scale of 1 to 10. If that number is low, you could be damaging more than your confidence levels. A study that came out this year from Concordia University showed that keeping self-esteem high throughout your life can help reduce your risk for health problems as you get older. It turns out that low self-esteem is connected to higher cortisol levels (the stress hormone), which can result in physical health issues. Ready to give yourself a confidence boost? Try these four easy steps:
- Get off Facebook! Swedish researchers found that the more time someone spends on Facebook, the lower his or her self-esteem. And an Australian study this year showed that you get another blow to your self-worth if you post something and nobody likes it or comments on it.
- Stand tall. Your mom always told you to have good posture, and she was right. Sitting up straight in your chair makes you likelier to believe positive thoughts about yourself, according to research from Ohio State University.
- Do a random act of kindness. Volunteer at a local charity or help clean up your neighborhood and you’ll feel better about yourself. You’ll know you’ve made a difference and will feel a sense of accomplishment, two things that will give you some much-needed self-worth.
- Spend your time with people who make you feel good about yourself. It can be tough to lift your spirits if you are around friends and family members who tear you down. You can’t cut everyone out of your life, but you can choose who you spend more time with. You want to end an interaction feeling better about yourself, not worse.
And if you’re a parent and want to make sure your child grows up with high self-esteem, try getting them involved in artistic activities and focus on helping them solve problems on their own.
Photo credit: Kiran Foster
