How to Raise Your Self-Esteem in the New Year

So, you do not feel very good about yourself. You are intimidated by others who you feel are much better than you are. At the turn of the New Year, you can start the year off fresh with a positive attitude and high self-esteem. There are some things you can do to give your self-esteem a boost.

Causes of Low Self-Esteem

Your level of self-esteem is based upon the unique experiences and personal relationships that have made up your life. Positive and fulfilling relationships help save your self-esteem, when negative experiences and troubled relationships tend to lower your self-esteem. An example of a common cause of low self-esteem is parents who tell their kids they can do nothing right, this is more common than you realize. Poor performance in school or bullying can negatively affect your self-esteem.

Ways to Boost Your Self-Esteem

· Give yourself positive and encouraging statements. Repeating them constantly will cause your mind to act on them. Work at feeling good about yourself and become more self-reliant.

· Take action and do something for yourself. Build your confidence by accomplishing something you always have wanted to do. Whether it is learning to play the guitar or starting your own business. Do not let other people tell you that you cannot do it, prove them wrong.

· Keep a journal. Write down your feelings and thoughts about situations and determine how you could make them better by just looking at them in a different way. Keeping a journal will cause you to learn more about yourself and how you react to certain situations so you can stop and turn them around.

· Socialize more. Involve yourself actively in things that interest you. Join clubs, networking organizations, associations or groups of similar interest and participate actively. Being part of a group gives you a sense of belonging, acceptance and appreciation. Knowing that you are a part of something important and meaningful goes a long way in boosting your self-esteem.

· Establish goals. Set goals on what you can realistically achieve. Take one step at a time, if you run upon any problems as a learning experience and keep going until you reach your goal.

· Stand up for yourself. Do not allow people to put you down and do not let other people crush your dreams. Do not put up with people or situations that invalidate all the positive things that you can do. Your dreams are yours; do not let others take them away.

· Give your inner critic an eviction notice. When you notice you are having doubts or judging yourself, stop it. Everyone has an inner critic at times that says things like, "You can't do it". People with low self-esteem tend to listen to that little voice more often. Ignore you inner critic and tell yourself, I can do it.