Five Tips to Boost Your Self-Esteem Right Now

A person's self-esteem or self-worth defines who you are and how you see yourself. This concept can be very different than how others perceive you both in personality and outward appearance. Most articles and books today focus on boosting self-esteem over the long term, which is a very difficult process because it relies on you wanting to change your personal perception of yourself. But most people who are having a day, week, month or even year of low self-esteem want to get a quick pick me up right away. No one wants to wait to feel better psychologically; you would rather shake your low self esteem right now. Changing the level of your self-esteem is a process of daily discovery, where you are actively altering the perception you have of yourself. Here are 5 quick tips that can give you an idea on how to improve your self image in the short term in order to make long term progress.

Tell yourself you are beautiful every day
Self image is directly related to self-esteem. If you do not see yourself as being a beautiful person, others will not see how wonderful a person you really are. And beauty is not just referencing physical appearance; it is also how you are on the inside. By telling yourself you are beautiful you are altering how you perceive yourself. Give yourself a boost of self-worth in the morning by looking in the mirror and naming one beautiful thing about you. With each passing day you will discover things about yourself that you never knew before.

Also if you are having a moment where you are feeling down during the day, mentally remind yourself of all the things that make you a beautiful person. It will remove the negativity you are experiencing, and will refocus your mind on the positive. Low self image is directly related to negative thought patterns. If you can change you thought patterns, even for a moment you are on your way to a better feeling of self worth.

Write something positive
Start out your day by writing something positive - it can be about yourself, an event, or something else. If all you can think of are negatives, discover ways how to flip the negative into a positive. For example, you know that you have been having car trouble that has put you into debt. You can write a few positives out of that situation; such as knowing that you have good friends that are helping you out when you need it most or decide you are going to take action to change the situation by getting another job or saving more money. Even though the event caused your self esteem to lower, you discover that this event made you a stronger person in the present and the future.

Be overly friendly
Our society has the habit of ignoring people on a daily basis. Most of the time you can't get a simple "hello" or "how are you" anymore. When you see someone you do or do not know, greet them even if it is just by saying hello - and smile when you greet them. It is amazing how making someone else smile makes self-esteem increase. You discover that you feel better when you make someone else feel better. After all they may be having a day filled with low self esteem too.

Help someone out
Again this is based on society's quirk of always being in a hurry. How many times have you passed someone who needs a hand because you were rushing? Do one or more helpful things a day, and your self-worth will get an immediate boost. For example, you see someone who is having a hard time getting something off a shelf - just give them a hand. Or if you see a car with its lights on tell security, or knock on your neighbor's door to let them know. You end up saving them from a rough day, and you know you did something good for someone else.

Take time for yourself
How a person appears on the outside is almost always a direct reflection of how they are feeling on the inside. If you are feeling a bit down, wear your favorite shirt, pair of shoes, paint your nails, take extra time for your hair - anything that makes you feel good. That extra bit of effort will change how you see yourself during the day, and the compliments you get will add to your personal self-esteem boost.