Increase Self-Esteem in 5 Simple Steps

If you want to increase self-esteem, there are many different activities you can engage in to give you a boost. With more self-esteem, you'll be more likely to get into positive relationships, more likely to finish things that you start and more likely to have a happier day-to-day life. Here are just five simple steps you can take to boost this integral aspect of your life.

1. Pick and Choose

I wish it was easier to understand who your real friends are in this world. We've all gone through phases of hanging out with people who don't make us feel good at the end of the day. They insult us and cajole us and decrease our self-esteem. To increase self-esteem, hang out more often with the encouraging people as opposed to the discouraging people. While true self-esteem comes from within, it certainly helps to have people outside of you who believe in who you are and what you do.

2. Watch Less, Do More

When you watch a lot of TV, read a ton of magazines or go out to the movies, you are bombarded with advertisements (and programs themselves) that subtly tell you that you aren't doing a good job. They show you the sexiest models in the world (who have been Photoshopped to look amazing) and all of the best stuff that you should have to avoid being a failure. It's a load of crap. Go out and do more. Read more books. Take more trips. Leave the self-esteem sapping media in the dust.

3. Writing Down a Dream

People with low self-esteem don't tend to push for what they want in life. They may replace their own dreams with the dreams of others or they might not have dreams at all. Write down the things you want in life. Even if you have no idea how you're going to get them, write them down and try your best not to let other people's wants influence what you write. Even the simple act of writing these goals down will make you feel more like you deserve what's on that sheet of paper.

4. Exercise

People who exercise tend to have higher self-esteem. Of all the ways to increase self-esteem, this practice may have the most benefits. First of all, exercise increases the amount of endorphins in your body, which are like nature's happiness hormones. Secondly, exercise when coupled with a nutritious diet, tends to make you look better. People who look more fit also tend to have more self-esteem. Thirdly, exercise allows you to accomplish new goals such as running a race or lifting a certain amount of weight. Personally, exercise has been a major factor in the positive way I view myself.

5. Happiness Actions

There are plenty of actions that can increase self-esteem the more that you do them. If you engage in the activities that provoke said actions, you'll boost your self-esteem. Laugh more. Smile more. Hug people more often. Sing and dance and goof around. When you add more of these activities to your life, even if you're faking them at first, you'll eventually find yourself to be a happier, healthier person.

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