5 Activities for Building Self-Worth

It’s a no-brainer, ladies – when our self-esteem is higher, we feel better about ourselves and are much more resilient. Having self-esteem leads directly to having a glowing, stronger sense of self-worth, which is oh-so-important to our mental health. By improving self-worth, we learn to love ourselves and realise we are deserving of all the great things life has to offer – like love, success, wealth, happiness and more. It’s completely normal to have down moments, or to doubt yourself after a tough day in the office. Studies have shown that when you have self-worth, you quickly bounce back from emotional wounds like rejection and failure. You are also less vulnerable to anxiety and stress. In order for you to know how to be confident at work and in everyday life, you must know how to build self-esteem. We’ve gathered five of the best activities for building self-worth. Let’s get started!

USE POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS—BUT USE THEM CORRECTLY

Sometimes it’s great to hear bold statements like, “I am going to be the most successful woman!” or “I WILL make this happen!” Other times…not so much. Positive affirmations like the above can often make those of us with low self-worth feel a bit worse, mainly because those statements go against our existing beliefs. If you have a glowing sense of self-esteem, perhaps these affirmations will work wonders. If your self-esteem is nowhere to be found, try tweaking these affirmations so they are more believable. Give yourself phrases of encouragement, such as “I’m going to work as hard as I can until I’m a successful woman!” or “I will keep trying until I feel like I’ve made progress!”

IDENTIFY YOUR STRENGTHS — AND DEVELOP THEM

If you want to know how to build self-worth, the answer is by having confidence in your abilities and taking pride in your talents. Celebrate your achievements – big or small – and focus on the things in life that make you feel fulfilled. If you’re a strong swimmer, sign up for ocean races and train for them. If cooking is second nature to you, throw more dinner parties. If you’re a huge bookworm, arrange a book club to meet like-minded friends. Always be looking for new opportunities that allow you to develop your skills and talents. 

LEARN TO ACCEPT COMPLIMENTS

When you have low self-esteem, it can be hard to accept (and believe) compliments—even though that’s the time when we need them the most. Practice setting resolutions to tolerate compliments that come your way, even if it makes you feel awkward or uncomfortable. Prepare simple responses like, “Aww thanks so much!” or “That’s so kind of you!” Train yourself to automatically respond with these phrases whenever you get good feedback. Whether it’s a compliment about your customer service or your new hair colour, positive words can help your self-esteem grow. Fight the urge to deny or swat those compliments away!

SAY GOODBYE TO SELF-CRICISM & SAY HELLO TO SELF-COMPASSION

Can you think of a time when you felt bad, then took it a step further to criticise yourself and beat yourself down? It’s pretty common to do this, especially in the workplace when you’re surrounded by so many intense personalities (and potentially competitive colleagues). If you’re keen to learn how to be more confident at work, the first step is swapping self-criticism for self-compassion. Try not to compare yourself to others, and try to ignore the self-critical inner monologue. Would you say this nasty critique to your best friend? No—so don’t say it yourself either! Work on building up your self-esteem, and be warm and kind to yourself. Bruno Mars was right—girl, you’re amazing just the way you are.

AFFIRM YOUR TRUE WORTH

For our final tip on how to build self-esteem and confidence, we’re asking you to grab that pen and paper and prepare to write. Think about the situation that caused your self-esteem to take a blow. Was it a bad date, or maybe you missed out on a work incentive? Start writing a list of positive qualities you have that relate to your sticky situation. For example, if you had a poor date, list out qualities that make you a fantastic romantic partner. If you lost a work incentive, list out qualities that make you an excellent employee.

Once you’ve made your list, choose one of the qualities and write a few paragraphs around why that quality is important, and how it will be appreciated by others in the future. If you do this every day for a week, or whenever you need a confidence boost, you will learn how to build self-esteem in no time!

Improving self-worth will take a bit of work, as it requires developing and maintaining healthier emotional habits. With practice, you’ll begin feeling like the true queen you are. If you’re keen to learn more about self-love, check out our article on What is Self-Worth & Why Is It So Important?