Simple Recommendations To Feel Better About Yourself
Life isn’t always what you expect it to be, is it? When the results you hope for don’t manifest themselves, this can sometimes leave you questioning your self-worth and abilities. It’s easy to fall into that trap of discouragement.
The good news is that you can also get yourself right out of that melancholy mood!
Whenever you’re down in the dumps, it’s important that you take action to start feeling better about yourself. Dwelling on the negative and remaining in a depressed state is unhealthy. After a while, you’ll feel like you’re moving backward instead of forward. This makes it challenging to get back to a positive mindset.
“Dwelling on the negative is unhealthy”
Kirsten Turkington DNP — Turkington Medical
10 Tips You Can Use Today to Restore Your Self Belief
Try any of these easy tips to restore your belief in you. If you need help, reach out to a professional. I know I did and it was the best thing I could have ever done.
- Reflect on past successes. There is definitely something you have been good at. Take a look inside. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll begin to realize that you’ve enjoyed many successes in the past.
- Reflect on how great you felt when you earned something you worked extremely hard for. It could be something as simple as completing a project, graduating a class, or learning something new. It can also be facing your fears.
- Think about the impact you’ve had on your peers when you accomplished something that they all would’ve loved to accomplish themselves. We all have someone that has reached out for our help. That usually happens because we were able to help them. Remember that feeling — it is important to feel valued.
- Know that you’re unique. You have a special blend of talents, abilities, personality, appearance, and purpose that is different from everyone else on the planet. That is a major reason I am called a “unicorn clinician”. I am different and unique. I did not always feel confident in my abilities and uniqueness, But overtime I was able to identify my unique qualities as something that truly sets me apart. There is no one else like you and that’s a wonderful thing!
- Remember times in the past when you came up with your own solution to a challenge that made things better for you or those around you. We all have challenges. We also have challenges that we have each overcome. Sometimes you just need to dig deep to remember some of those successes. When you do you’ll realize that you accomplish something because you owned it not because somebody else did it for you.
- Since you’re the only person like you around, why not focus on your unique abilities and put those to work to evoke positive change in your life? Setting your new ideas in motion will go a long way toward restoring your self-confidence. Perhaps there’s a new class you would like to take or a talent you would like to develop. When I was younger I wanted to run a marathon. I wasn’t sure how to do it so I took it upon myself to uncover my inner strength and was able to successfully complete over 13 marathons over a period of years. It was quite an accomplishment.
- Do something you’re good at. A sure way to boost how you feel about yourself is to do something you already know you’re good at. Having even a small success is a great way to build reassurance and focus on the positive. Something as simple as calling a friend to say hello or giving a smile to a stranger on the street could be enough to brighten your day and your mood. I like to keep a list of strengths that I can reference if I ever forget. I also do that with my friends and family because it’s not always easy for them to remember their personal strengths as well.
- It’s okay to need that self-reassurance from time to time. It’s a challenging time in a tough world, and it’s easy for outside influences to dampen your drive. Our current public health circumstances have highlighted the importance of reaching out to people that care about us. Don’t permit yourself to stay isolated. Remind yourself that you’re a star in a part of the sky where nobody else shines quite as bright.
- Proving to yourself that you can do something often gives you just enough motivation to get past that rough patch. Consider when you need your New Year’s resolution. Maybe wanted to lose weight or become more active. Perhaps you wanted To start reading more or find a new job. Just because you weren’t successful at the beginning of the year doesn’t mean you can’t start over now. There is always time to prove to yourself that you can do something that you wanted to do and maybe have not been successful with in the past. The more you try the more likely it is you will be successful. That is proven time and time again in medical research.
- Make someone else feel special. Making a positive impact on someone else’s life is one of the most empowering and uplifting experiences you can have! This would be a great opportunity to begin some volunteer work. I know my family has worked with multiple charities, healthcare organizations, foster groups, and other industries that could really use an outreach of support. By giving of yourself, you can find a tremendous amount of gratification. In turn, this has a very positive impact. Just remember, it’s not all about monetary donations. Giving your time and attention just as valuable..
- Try volunteering at a local agency that helps those less fortunate than you. So many lives need a caring touch. Taking the opportunity to help them will enable you to feel that much more worthy. This is a follow up on point number 10. The more you can volunteer the better off you’ll be. It becomes a daily reminder that no matter how you feel you can always help somebody else. In turn that will improve your outlook as well.
- Encouraging another person who lacks self-esteem can bring the kind of inner satisfaction that allows you to see your own true purpose. In fact, you may sometimes forget about your own hardships for a while because you’re so focused on helping someone else overcome theirs. It is very important that we recognize the role of connection in communities. It is important in our families and with our friends. It is also important for people we don’t get no. Everyone has a struggle and they’re not always willing to discuss it. Simply encouraging somebody else can make a tremendous difference.
It can be very easy to focus on things that are not going well for you. Overall that is not the best practice because it doesn’t give you a sense of empowerment and accomplishment. Try not to dwell on the negative feelings you might have about yourself. Instead, celebrate all the great qualities you have inside and share those with the world. Take the time to reflect on your blessings and you’ll begin to see for yourself how awesome and special you really are.
Kirsten Turkington, DNP is a Family Nurse and clinical expert. She is a Coach, Educator, and Advocate helping her clients find maximal success in life, health, career, and relationships. Sign up for her newsletter here.