Self-esteem is both important and misunderstood. In theory, we all know that self-esteem is crucial, but it is often confused with ego. With all the miscommunication and misunderstanding about it, how do we know what healthy self-esteem entails? Here are the basics so you can know for yourself and decide whether you have a healthy self-esteem or not.
Acceptance of Self
In order to have a healthy self-esteem, you must learn to love yourself. This may sound like an overused concept, but the truth of the matter is that respecting oneself begins with self-love. A person with healthy self-esteem will accept their flaws, even while working on them. Healthy self-esteem will allow you to love yourself so that you can change what you desire to, and accept what you cannot.
Acceptance of Others
When someone has a healthy self-esteem, they will be able to accept others. Accepting others doesn’t mean putting up with wrong treatment, but it involves overlooking minor faults and being forgiving of them. Acceptance of others also involves not being in competition with them. When you have a healthy self-esteem, you will not feel the need to compete with others, or to put others down.
Acceptance of Life Situation
For a person to be truly happy, they need to learn to go along with whatever direction life takes them. A healthy self-esteem is evident when even though something may go wrong, the individual can go with it and make the situation work. When someone’s self-esteem is weak, this is very difficult and sometimes impossible to do. It takes a strong sense of self-esteem to be able to overcome the many rapid changes life throws at us, and to do so with grace.
Positive Perceptions
An individual with healthy self-esteem will view the world as a place where they can learn and grow in a positive way. When someone lacks self-acceptance, they will not see life this way. To a person with low self-esteem, the world can seem dangerous and cold. You can determine a lot about your self-esteem by how you think about almost everything around you. Is your glass half empty or half full? This will likely give you your answer as to where your self-esteem is at.
Assertiveness
When your self-esteem is healthy, you will be more likely to put yourself into situations that require confidence, and less likely to back out of things due to fear. Someone who has self-esteem and the confidence that comes with it will be comfortable trying new things, even if it means making a mistake. Healthy self-esteem allows you to understand that making mistakes is a normal part of life and that you can move on without regrets.
Healthy self-esteem is the building block of a satisfying life. When you have it, you will find life to be a positive experience full of learning and growth. Without it, life will feel like one obstacle after another. By learning what healthy self-esteem is, you can make a choice to build this important attribute in your life and build the life you desire.
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