Boost Your Self Esteem Month

February is observed as Boost Your Self Esteem Month.

In this constant environment of competition and self perfection, it is very important for everyone to take a step back and be kind to themselves. Social media has made it particularly harder for people to feel good due to the persistent pressure to show only the best parts of themselves and the public scrutiny that comes along with it.
Sometimes, negative thoughts occupy us, especially when we are feeling down and drained. These factors contribute to the deterioration of our mental health.

What is self-esteem? Well, I think the important way of considering this question is what its not. Its not another person’s expectation, it’s not your family’s perception of what you should or should not be, it’s not based on the value you hold within a relationship or how many likes you can get for a post on social media. Despite all these things adding to our overall self-esteem we are not defined by them.

The dictionary defines self-esteem as confidence in one’s own worth or abilities; self-respect, when we consider this, we can see how the ‘what it’s not’ may play a part in the ‘what it is’. But the good news is that we can build our self-esteem and confidence. How do we do this? We can become more emotionally intelligent, the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. We can recognise the differing types of emotions and how they affect us as individuals, we can learn and develop ways to manage these emotions and our reactions to them. We can communicate effectively, considering how we set boundaries and become more assertive in setting our standards out to those around us in how we choose to allow people to treat us. We can allow ourselves to reflect on the positives and our achievements instead of moving quickly on and focussing on what we haven’t completed. Each of these components will enable us to journey through building our self-esteem and feel the benefits of becoming more mentally resilient.

Ishbel Straker – Psychiatric Consultant & Nursing Director

This month we aim to invest some time into boosting our self esteem and finding ways to encourage ourselves to feel better. Here are some ways we can achieve that: