I found this online last year as I was preparing for one of the very first BUILD Beauty meetings last year and I revisited it again as I was preparing the very first Freshman Night this year. I fell more in love with it and I feel like everyone needs to read through it and actually incorporate at least some or better yet ALL of these things if possible in their lives. Okay, maybe all of them at least once? Just try!
Here it is. 22 things you can do to help your self esteem and better your life. These little things and changes you can make will really make a difference in your life. I have put in some of my input on things I have done or my thoughts on some of the tips. I hope you try it out and it helps you! Let me know what you think or if any of them impacted you! Email me at glitterandthegirlygirl.gmail.com.
Self Esteem Tips
1. Set an intention. Before you get out of bed, decide what kind of day you want to have. Make a deliberate, conscious decision about how you want to create your day. Write it down. Play a little with how it might feel. When you get up, act accordingly. Remind yourself throughout the day of your intention. Look for ways your intention is playing out in your world. Suggested intention: Today is full of joyful miracles!
How many times have you thought to yourself, this is going to be a bad day? And then it turns out to be a bad day? How you think about your day and how it will go will dramatically help how it turns out. No, you can't control if your tire decides to go flat or stop that accidental coffee spill, but you can control your attitude about the day and how you react to those situations.
2. Be true to yourself. Live your life doing what feels right to you, not what someone else thinks you should do. It’s ok to listen to advice, but in the end, make the decision that feels best for you. Being a people pleaser is a very frustrating way to live. Get in the habit of pleasing yourself. You are responsible for your own happiness. Your feelings are important. "Our self-respect tracks our choices. Every time we act in harmony with our authentic self and our heart, we earn our respect. It is that simple. Every choice matters." ~Dan Coppersmith
3. Change your mental diet. Read uplifting books. Listen to uplifting tapes and CDs and attend uplifting workshops. What you focus on expands. What you put your attention on becomes more real. So focus on what you want to create, on what makes you happy. Don’t focus on negativity. Stop watching the news. Avoid whiners and complainers. Walk away.
4. Be aware of what your monkey mind, the voice in your head, is saying. Widen back and observe your thoughts. If a particular thought isn't kind or isn’t serving you, note this and redirect your focus to what you are wanting. This may take a bit of practice. Remember to be kind to yourself as you are gaining awareness and strengthening your will.
5. Upgrade your physical diet. Processed foods contain very little nutritional value when compared to raw, organic fruits and vegetables. Eat fresh produce rather than processed foods whenever possible. Drink plenty of water, fresh juices and smoothies instead of caffeinated beverages or energy drinks. Add nutrient dense superfoods to your diet. When you take care of your body by supplying it with good nutrients, you will naturally feel better and have more energy.
6. Stop comparing yourself to others. You are not supposed to be like anyone else. You are you. You are the only one who can be you. Your perspectives, gifts and value are exclusively yours. You are a unique expression of God. Revel in it! If you want something to measure yourself by, compare how you were yesterday to how you are today, and be kind.
7. Create an uplifting environment for yourself. This can be joyful colors, uplifting music, nature photos, plants, uplifting posters, open windows… you decide. Wear clothes that you feel good in.
8. Celebrate your successes. Even the small ones. Don't wait to get perfect. Any progress at all is worthy of celebration. When you celebrate, you are telling the universe “I am loving this. Please give me more!” Yay!
This is so important and I have been stressing this a lot this year to BUILD Beauty girls. It is not a crime to reward yourself even with the most simple thing as a bubble bath, coffee, or extra time to read a book. Last week, I had a great productive night at the library and I was excited because I thought to myself, you know what, I am going to go home and enjoy some oreos and milk. Let the little things excite you!
9. Be grateful. You have much to be grateful for. Before you go to bed each night, write down ten things you are grateful for that day and why. This is an important step. Gratitude alone can turn things around for you. What are you grateful for right now?
I recently made a blog post about my happiness journal. This is very similar to that. I would choose what you prefer. You can do whatever you like whether it is a gratitude or happiness journal. You can learn more about my happiness journal experience in my past blog post about it!
10. Create a list of accomplishments and review it often. We tend to get overwhelmed looking at what’s left to be done and forget to give ourselves credit for how far we’ve already come.
11. Don’t take yourself, or life, too seriously. Lighten up. Dare to have fun. “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly” ~ G.K Chesterton
This is something I need to remind myself to do!
12. Learn something new. Become an expert. Get curious and learn all there is to learn about what interests you. Learning is growing, and it feels good.
13. Do things that stretch your comfort zone. Anytime you feel fear, as long as it isn't life threatening, is an opportunity to grow! "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." ~Anais Nin
14. Do something nice for yourself. You deserve it! Maybe a massage, a bath or nap. Take yourself out on a date. Treat yourself with the same honor, courtesy, respect and kindness you would if you were taking someone else out that you really, really liked. The key here is to enbrace and enjoy the experience. Feeling guilty defeats the purpose.
15. Do something nice for someone else. Volunteer. Being of service, without expectation of reward, feels really good.
16. Spend time regularly doing things you find joyful. What make your heart sing? Do more of it! Remember being happy is not a selfish act. Your joy is a gift to the world! When you feel joyful, your joy is contagious.
17. Do something physical. Clean out a closet. Get out of the house. Go for a walk. Do some gardening. Visit the nature preserve. Exercise. Fly a kite. Ride a bike. Exercise produces endorphins that help you feel better. Also, being outdoors in the sunshine helps the body produce vitamin D, which contributes to a healthier, happier you.
Last year we had a couple trainers from the student recreation center come speak at BUILD Beauty about fitness and one girl said to us, "have you ever left the gym unhappy and mad that you went?" Seriously. I don't find anything negative about going to the gym. Try it!
Also, on the subject of cleaning out a closet. I also believe that when there is clutter around you, it clutters you inside as well. It makes it harder to focus and clutters your thoughts. You should see how you feel after picking up for even just 5 minutes.
18. Spend time with supportive, uplifting people. We do exist!
Text me, email me, message me, whatever you gotta do and I will try to give you some encouragement!
19. Create positive affirmations about yourself. Post them about your home. Say them often and out loud.
I have a friend that is posting post its with positive affirmations about herself on one of her walls. I suggest using the bright colored ones :)
20. Allow yourself to be where you are. Just feel whatever you are feeling, without judging it or judging yourself for feeling it. Let go of the story you have created around it and just be with the feeling. Embrace it. Explore it. Feel it. All any feeling wants is to be felt fully. This can only be done when you let go of your resistance to feeling it, which is kept in place by the story and the judgment around it. Without the story and the labels, feelings are inherently neutral. Feel the feeling fully, then just let it dissolve.
21. Remind yourself often you are a miraculous, sacred, perfect expression of Life. Amazing, incredible you are worthy and loved always, without having to do a thing.
22. Spend some time just being. This is much easier in Nature. Go camping. Take a walk. Climb a tree. Sit by a stream. Put up a hammock and climb in. In reconnecting with the Earth and Nature, we slow down and have time for some inner reflection. Priorities become clearer. Who you truly are is more easily recognized here.
I hope you will think of these and try them out. See what differences it makes! I would love to hear about them. :)
Sparkle & Shine,
Rachel
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