What is self-esteem and confidence, what affects them and why are they important?
Self-esteem is the way we see ourselves, whether this is our physical body, our accomplishments or personality. Self-confidence is how much belief and faith we have in ourselves and our qualities.
Self-esteem and self-confidence can be affected by a lot of different things around us, some examples include; comparing ourselves to what we see and hear in the media/social media, comments from other people/bullying, physical health problems, mental health problems, relationship issues and more.
It is important to work towards improving your self-esteem and self-confidence if they are low and maintain them if they are high because we all have the right to feel good about ourselves and feel confident in our own bodies.
Social media is a huge part of society now and many of us can pick up our phones and start scrolling through our feeds without consciously realising we have done so. While social media can have a positive impact in our lives by helping us to remember memories and keeping us in contact with each other and our communities, it can also have a negative impact for our self-esteem, self-confidence and body image. If you would like to read about reducing the negative effect social media has on the way you see yourself, click here.
Improving and maintaining your self-esteem and confidence
There are lots of ways that you can improve your self-esteem and confidence and to maintain them. Here are a few examples we have found but they are flexible and you can tailor them to suit you.
- Make two lists; one about your strengths and one about your achievements. Sometimes if we have low self-esteem or confidence this can be hard to do but ask a trusted other (e.g. a friend, family member or anyone else you are close to and can trust). Once you have your list, keep it somewhere safe and you can read over it when you are feeling low or when you want to add something to it.
- Manage your health goals and you will feel the benefits in your body. By choosing which areas of your health you would like to improve such as sleep, moods, hydration, cardiovascular endurance and monitoring improvements you see within yourself will help you to improve your relationship with your body and improve your confidence.
- Treat yourself and get to know yourself. Make sure you take time for yourself, take part in the activities which you enjoy and look after yourself. This will help you to boost your self-esteem over time.
- Avoid comparing yourself with other. It can be easy to compare our bodies and lives with those of the people around us and sometimes this can happen without us even realising it. Take notice of any time you are starting to compare yourself with others and turn your mind to other things for example something you really like about your life or your body. For tips on how to reduce comparing yourself to what you see on social media, click here.
- Celebrate your successes in life. It is so important to recognise all of the good you are doing in your life no matter how big or small the action is. Take some time to think about this and you could even ask someone for a hand if you are struggling to think of something yourself.
- Accept compliments. Often we can dismiss compliments without thinking about it but if you make a conscious effort to thank someone for their compliment you will start to see the effect it has on your self-esteem and self-confidence.
What if low self-esteem and confidence starts to affect my mental health?
Low self-esteem and low self-confidence are not mental health problems however they are closely linked. If there are a lot of things which are affecting your self-esteem and self-confidence over a long period of time this may then start to affect your mental health.
If you mental health is effected then you may benefit from talking to someone about how you are feeling. You can do this over the phone, online or face to face.
If you need to talk to anyone about how you are feeling whether it is about body image or any other thoughts you are having you can contact some organisations who are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Both of the services below are confidential and free to contact.
If you are under 19 you can contact Childline over the phone (on: 08001111) and online to speak with a counsellor about how you are feeling.
If you are over 19 you can contact The Samaritans over the phone (on: 116123) or via email.
Want to talk to someone about how you are feeling in South Tyneside?
Want to talk to someone about how you are feeling in Sunderland?
Children and Young People’s Service (CYPS)
The Children and Young People’s Service provides a single service to all children and young people aged 0-18 years living in South Tyneside and Sunderland who present with mental health difficulties. This includes children and young people who may have learning difficulties and those living in a range of difficult…
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South Tyneside Lifecycle Primary Care Mental Health Service
We work with children, young people and adults who feel anxious or experience depression and other common mental health difficulties. We offer a range of Talking Therapies, Employment Advice and support in recovering your ability to take part in social, educational and leisure activities.
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Children and Young People’s Service (CYPS)
The Children and Young People’s Service provides a single service to all children and young people aged 0-18 years living in South Tyneside and Sunderland who present with mental health difficulties. This includes children and young people who may have learning difficulties and those living in a range of difficult…
View this service
View this service
Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (C CAMHS)
The Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (NHS) offers professional support to children and young people 0-18 years who may display emotional…
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Washington Mind Young People’s Project
Sometimes it can feel like we don’t have any control over what we think or how we feel. But by making simple changes to our lives, we can make a real difference to our mental health. Feeling good is worth investing in and the best thing is that these simple tips won’t cost you much time or money…
