What does it mean to have a healthy self-esteem?

Having a healthy self-esteem means to feel good about who you are! It has to do with valuing and accepting yourself. Someone with a healthy self-esteem feels proud of him/herself and feels confident that they can accomplish their goals. Someone with a low self-esteem might feel unsure about themselves or may feel like other people don’t like them or will not accept them.

What causes low self-esteem?
Here are a few reasons that may cause low self-esteem:

• Being the victim of bullying
• Having a hard time with school or getting bad grades
• Having been abused, either physically, sexually, or emotionally
• Feeling pressured by people, media, TV, or by society to look a certain way
• How can I improve my self-esteem?

One way to improve your self-esteem is to think about and identify some of the many positive qualities you have. Everyone has things that they are good at or try really hard at – if you focus on those things, then you may start to feel better and more confident. Unfortunately, we don’t take much time to think about these things and our friends and family don’t always give us compliments that help us realize just how valuable we are. You don’t have to wait for others to tell you how great you are, take a minute now to answer a few questions that will help you identify some of your strengths:

I work really hard at:

1. Being a good friend
2. Getting good grades
3. Getting along with others
4. Sports
5.  Other:_______

I am a good friend because:

1. I’m funny
2. I am loyal and honest
3. I’m fun to hang out with
4. I am helpful
5. Other:________

Here are some more suggestions to boost your self-esteem:

• Don’t try to be perfect, aim for small accomplishments daily
• Think positive thoughts about yourself
• Talk to a teacher, parent, guidance counselor or doctor if you think you’ve been abused