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38 Self Esteem Art Therapy Activities

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38 Self Esteem Art Therapy Activities: Unleash Your Creativity Today!

Crafting has been shown to have numerous benefits for adults, including reducing stress, increasing mood, and boosting self-confidence. In fact, studies have shown that engaging in creative self esteem art therapy activities can help improve self-esteem and self-worth, making it an excellent tool for those looking to boost their confidence.

Table of Contents

Whether you’re struggling with low self-esteem or simply looking for a fun and creative way to express yourself, there are plenty of craft projects out there that can help you feel more confident and self-assured. From painting and drawing to knitting and sewing, there are endless possibilities when it comes to crafting, and each project offers its own unique benefits for boosting self-esteem and confidence.

In this article, I will exp lore 38 craft projects that are specifically designed to help boost self-esteem and confidence. Whether you’re a seasoned crafter or a complete beginner, there’s something on this list for everyone. So, grab your supplies and get ready to unleash your creativity and boost your self-esteem in the process.

The Importance of Self-Esteem and Confidence

Self-esteem and confidence are crucial aspects of a person’s well-being. Having a positive self-image is essential for leading a happy and fulfilling life . High self-esteem is linked to better mental health , academic and professional success, and healthier relationships. On the other hand, low self-esteem can lead to negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, and social isolation.

Craft projects are an excellent way to boost self-esteem and confidence. Creating something with your own hands and seeing the finished product can give a sense of accomplishment and pride. It also allows for self-expression and creativity, which can help improve one’s mood and overall well-being.

Craft projects can be particularly beneficial for children, as they are still developing their sense of self and identity. Encouraging self esteem art therapy activities to create and express themselves through art can help build their confidence and self-esteem.

Research has shown that engaging in creative activities can have a positive impact on a person’s mental health . It can reduce stress , anxiety, and depression, and improve overall mood. Additionally, creating something can give a sense of purpose and meaning, which can lead to increased self-worth and confidence.

In conclusion, self-esteem and confidence are crucial for a person’s well-being, and craft projects are an excellent way to boost them. Whether it’s painting, drawing, knitting, or any other creative activity, taking the time to create something can have a positive impact on mental health and overall happiness.

Self-Esteem Art Therapy Activities for Kids

Self esteem art therapy activities rojects can be a fun and engaging way to help kids build self-esteem and confidence. Here are some easy crafts for kids and crafts that encourage conversation that you can try at home:

Easy Crafts for Kids

1. Positive Affirmation Cards : Have your child create a set of cards with positive affirmations written on them, such as “I am strong” or “I am capable.” They can decorate the cards with drawings or stickers and keep them in a special box or container to look at whenever they need a confidence boost.

2. Vision Board : Help your child create a vision board with pictures and words that represent their goals and aspirations. This can help them visualize their dreams and feel more confident about their ability to achieve them.

3. Decorate a Mirror : Have your child decorate a small mirror with positive affirmations or images that make them feel happy and confident. They can look at themselves in the mirror and repeat the affirmations to themselves, boosting their self-esteem.

Crafts that Encourage Conversation

4. Emotion Stones : Paint or draw different emotions on small stones, such as happy, sad, angry, and scared. Use these stones to start conversations with your child about their feelings and emotions.

5. Gratitude Jar : Have your child decorate a jar and fill it with slips of paper listing things they are grateful for. This can help them focus on the positive aspects of their life and build self-esteem.

6 . Self-Portrait : Have your child create a self-portrait using different materials, such as paint, markers, or collage materials. Use this as an opportunity to talk about their strengths and unique qualities.

Craft projects can be a great way to help kids build self-esteem and confidence while also having fun and expressing their creativity. Try these easy crafts for kids and crafts that encourage conversation to help your child develop a positive self-image.

Self Esteem Art Therapy Activities and Crafts for Teenagers and Tweens

Crafting is a great way for teenagers and tweens to express themselves and boost their self-esteem. Here are some self esteem art therapy activities that are perfect for this age group.

DIY Room Decor

One way to boost self-esteem is to create a space that reflects your personality and style. DIY room decor projects are a great way to do this. Here are a few ideas:

7 . String Art: String art is a fun and easy way to create unique wall art. All you need is a piece of wood, some nails, and string. Teens can create their own designs or use templates to create a specific shape or word.

8.  Tie-Dye : Tie-dye is a classic crafting technique that is still popular today. Teens can use this technique to create their own bedding, curtains, or clothing. There are plenty of tutorials online to help them get started.

9. Photo Collage: Creating a photo collage is a great way to display your favorite memories. Teens can use a corkboard or canvas to create a unique display of their favorite photos.

Journaling is a great way for teenagers and tweens to express their thoughts and feelings. It can also help them set and achieve future goals. Here are a few journaling ideas:

10. Gratitude Journal : Encourage teens to write down three things they are grateful for each day. This can help them focus on the positive things in their life and boost their mood.

11 . Vision Board: A vision board is a collage of images and words that represent your goals and dreams. Teens can create a vision board in their journal or on a poster board.

12 . Daily Reflection: Encourage teens to reflect on their day and write down their thoughts and feelings. This can help them process their emotions and gain insight into their thought patterns.

Goal Setting

Setting and achieving goals is a great way to boost self-esteem and confidence. Here are a few goal-setting craft projects:

13. Goal Jar: Encourage teens to write down their goals on slips of paper and put them in a jar. They can pull out a slip of paper each day and work towards that goal .

14 . Goal Board: Similar to a vision board, a goal board is a visual representation of your goals. Teens can create a goal board using images and words that represent their goals.

15 . Goal Tracker: Create a goal tracker in a journal or on a poster board. This can help teens track their progress towards their goals and celebrate their successes.

Crafting is a great way for teenagers and tweens to boost their self-esteem and confidence. Whether they are creating DIY room decor, journaling, or setting and achieving goals, there are plenty of crafting projects that can help them express themselves and feel good about themselves.

Self Esteem Art Therapy Activities for Adults

Participating in self esteem art therapy activities can be a great way to boost self-esteem and confidence in adults. It allows you to express your creativity, focus on your strengths, and celebrate your achievements. Here are some craft projects that can help you build a positive self-image.

Memories and Achievements

Creating a craft that celebrates your memories and achievements can be a great way to boost your self-esteem. You can create a scrapbook, a memory box, or a shadow box that showcases your accomplishments and special moments. Here are some ideas:

16 . Scrapbook: Collect photos, ticket stubs, and other memorabilia from your favorite memories and create a scrapbook. You can use decorative paper, stickers, and other embellishments to make it extra special.

17 . Memory Box: Create a box filled with items that remind you of your achievements and happy moments. You can include medals, certificates, and other awards, as well as photos and other mementos.

18 . Shadow Box: A shadow box is a great way to display three-dimensional items that represent your achievements and memories. You can include items like sports equipment, musical instruments, or other objects that have special meaning to you.

Strengths and Compliments

Crafting can also be a great way to focus on your strengths and celebrate your unique qualities. Here are some craft projects that can help you do that:

19 . Vision Board: Create a vision board that showcases your strengths and goals. You can use images, quotes, and other visual elements to represent your aspirations and qualities.

20 . Positive Affirmation Jar: Write down positive affirmations on small pieces of paper and place them in a jar. Whenever you need a boost of confidence, pull out a piece of paper and read the affirmation.

21 . Compliment Cards: Create a set of cards that highlight your strengths and positive qualities. You can also make cards for your friends and family members, highlighting their strengths and unique qualities.

Crafting can be a powerful tool for building self-esteem and confidence . By focusing on your achievements, strengths, and positive qualities, you can create crafts that celebrate your unique identity and boost your self-image.

Therapeutic Crafts

Craft projects can be therapeutic and help boost self-esteem and confidence. They can also be a fun way to engage in cognitive behavioral therapy and other therapeutic techniques. Here are some therapeutic crafts that can help improve self-esteem and confidence.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Crafts

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that helps individuals identify and change negative thought patterns and behaviors. Crafts can be used as a tool to practice CBT techniques. Here are some CBT craft ideas:

22 . Positive Affirmation Cards: Create small cards with positive affirmations to help reframe negative thoughts . Write a positive affirmation on one side of the card and decorate the other side with colors or images that make you feel good.

23. Worry Stones: Use smooth stones and paint or write positive affirmations or calming words on them. When feeling anxious or stressed, hold the stone and focus on the words to help calm your mind.

24 . Vision Boards: Cut out images and words from magazines or print them from the internet to create a vision board. The board can represent your goals, dreams, and aspirations, and can serve as a reminder of what you want to achieve.

Self-Esteem Worksheets

Self-esteem worksheets can be used to help individuals identify negative thought patterns and work on building self-esteem. Here are some craft ideas that incorporate self-esteem worksheets:

25 . Self-Esteem Collage: Cut out images and words from magazines or print them from the internet to create a collage that represents your strengths, accomplishments, and positive qualities. Use a self-esteem worksheet to help identify these positive qualities.

26. Gratitude Jar: Decorate a jar and fill it with notes that list things you are grateful for. Use a self-esteem worksheet to help identify these things.

27 . Positive Memory Jar: Decorate a jar and fill it with notes that list positive memories or experiences. Use a self-esteem worksheet to help identify these memories.

Craft projects can be a fun and effective way to practice therapeutic techniques and boost self-esteem and confidence. Try incorporating some of these craft ideas into your self-care routine.

Crafts for Relaxation and Well-Being

Crafting is a great way to reduce stress and boost your mood. Engaging in creative activities can help you relax, focus, and feel more confident. Here are some craft projects that can help you achieve a sense of calm and well-being.

Colorful Crafts

Coloring is a popular way to unwind, and there are many different types of coloring books available, from intricate mandalas to simple designs for children. But coloring isn’t the only way to add color to your life . Here are some other colorful craft ideas:

28. Painting : Whether you’re using watercolors or acrylics, painting can be a soothing and meditative activity. Experiment with different colors and techniques to create a unique work of art .

29 . Collage: Cut out images from magazines or print them from the internet, and arrange them in a way that speaks to you. Use a variety of colors and textures to create a visually interesting piece.

30 . Mosaic: Create a colorful mosaic using small tiles, stones, or glass pieces. You can make a picture, a pattern, or just let your imagination guide you.

Flower Crafts

Flowers are a symbol of beauty and renewal, and working with them can be a calming and therapeutic experience. Here are some flower-themed craft ideas:

31. Pressed Flowers: Collect flowers from your garden or a nearby park, and press them between the pages of a heavy book. Once they’re dry, use them to decorate cards, bookmarks, or other paper crafts.

32 . Flower Arranging: Buy or pick some fresh flowers, and arrange them in a vase or other container. Experiment with different colors and shapes to create a pleasing composition.

33 . Flower Crown: Make a crown out of fresh or silk flowers. This is a fun and whimsical craft that can be worn for special occasions or just for fun.

Marbling and Tie-Dye

Marbling and tie-dye are two techniques that involve adding color to fabric. These crafts can be messy, but they’re also a lot of fun. Here are some ideas to get you started:

34 . Marbled Paper: Use shaving cream and food coloring to create marbled paper that can be used for cards, bookmarks, or other paper crafts.

35 . Tie-Dye T-Shirts: Buy a plain white t-shirt and some fabric dye, and create a unique tie-dye pattern. There are many different techniques to try, from the classic spiral to the more intricate mandala.

36 . Marbled Scarf: Use fabric dye and shaving cream to create a marbled scarf that can be worn or used as a decorative accessory.

Crafting is a great way to boost your self-esteem and confidence, while also promoting relaxation and well-being. Try one of these craft projects today, and see how it can improve your mood and outlook on life.

Craft Supplies and Techniques

Craft projects are an excellent way to boost self-esteem and confidence. They allow you to express your creativity and create something beautiful with your own hands. In this section, I will explore two popular craft supplies and techniques that can help you create stunning projects that boost your self-esteem and confidence.

37. Mod Podge and Food Coloring

Mod Podge is a popular crafting glue that can be used for a variety of projects. It’s great for decoupage, collage, and other mixed media projects. One fun way to use Mod Podge is to mix it with food coloring to create a unique and colorful effect.

To use Mod Podge and food coloring, simply mix a small amount of food coloring into your Mod Podge until you achieve the desired color . Then, use the mixture to decoupage or collage your project. The result is a colorful and unique creation that is sure to boost your self-esteem and confidence.

38. Flower Pots and Green Thumb

Gardening is a great way to boost self-esteem and confidence. It allows you to connect with nature, create something beautiful, and watch it grow and thrive. One popular gardening project is to decorate flower pots and plant them with your favorite flowers or herbs.

To decorate your flower pots, you can use a variety of materials, such as paint, markers, stickers, or decoupage. You can also add embellishments like ribbon, twine, or beads. Once your flower pots are decorated, fill them with soil and plant your favorite flowers or herbs. Watching your plants grow and thrive is a great way to boost your self-esteem and confidence.

Craft projects are a fun and creative way to boost self-esteem and confidence. By using popular craft supplies and techniques like Mod Podge and food coloring, and decorating flower pots and planting them with your favorite flowers or herbs, you can create beautiful and unique creations that are sure to make you feel proud and confident.

Ashley Yeo 

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Self Esteem Poster w/ Rubric

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“I am” posters

by Linda Bjork | Nov 13, 2020 | Free downloadable resources , Free stuff

“I am” posters     

An “I am” poster is a powerful tool to discover and create our authentic identity.  We are more confident and have better self esteem when we know who we are. 

How to use an “I am” poster

An “I am” poster uses the principles of repetition, visual images, words, and music to  increase feelings of value and self worth.  This multidimensional approach engages both hemispheres of the brain and facilitates upgrades in our thinking patterns.  Spend two minutes each morning and again each evening looking at, pondering about, and reading your “I am” poster, while listening to inspiring instrumental music.

Choose background music like the orchestral film music played in the background of your favorite movie.  This music is commonly known as “epic music.”  Just do a quick search on YouTube and you’ll have numerous playlist choices available in an instant.

We have several different versions to choose from, or you may use these as examples for ideas to create your own.  Click on an image below to select your free downloadable “I am” poster.

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55 Empowering Self-Esteem Activities for Teens (+ Printable PDF)

Teen Self-Esteem Activities : Explore helpful activities and ideas to help teenagers build their confidence and self-esteem. Download your free teen self-esteem worksheets at the of the post.

Navigating the ups and downs of the teenage years can be a complex task for both teens and parents. One of the key factors that can either ease or worsen this experience is a teen’s self-esteem.

Low self-esteem during these formative years can have long-lasting impacts, affecting how young people interact with the world around them, from social situations to their mental health.

The good news is that healthy self-esteem can be cultivated and nurtured, offering a strong foundation for a positive outlook on life. 

Table of Contents

Factors Influencing Teen Self-Esteem

Signs of low self-esteem in teens.

• 53 Self-Esteem Activities for Teenagers
• Self-Esteem Worksheets for Teens (Download)

A complex set of factors and influences shapes teen self-esteem, including:

• Peer Pressure : Peer pressure plays a major role in shaping a teen’s self-esteem. The pressure to conform to social norms and fit in with friends can lead to negative thoughts and low self-esteem.
• Social Media : More than just a connection platform, it serves as a comparison stage, particularly affecting teenage girls by encouraging them to measure their physical appearance against unrealistic standards.
• Academic Performance : Success or failure in school can either boost or undermine a teen’s self-esteem, especially when they equate good grades with self-worth.
• Body Image : Concerns over body image issues can be a major source of stress, contributing to negative feelings and low self-esteem, particularly among teenage girls.
• Family Dynamics : The family environment, including the relationships with parents and siblings, can either support or diminish a teen’s sense of self-worth.
• Mental Health : Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression can affect self-esteem, creating a cycle of negative self-talk and negative feelings.

Research on the characteristics associated with low self-esteem among US adolescents identified a number of modifiable risk factors that included obesity, TV time, team sports participation, school performance, and parenting style.

Susan Harter developed widely used self-perception scales for children and adolescents. In her work, she identifies two coexisting categories of self-evaluation:

• Global self-worth (overall self-esteem)
• Domain-specific evaluation in different areas (for example, schoolwork, social, physical appearance, behavioral, or sports)

High competence in a domain highly regarded by a teen (for example, physical appearance) will be a good predictor of high self-esteem. While high competence in an area that teen does not consider important will have less impact.

Positive psychology tells us that personal values and core beliefs can serve as protective factors, fostering high self-esteem and a strong sense of self-worth. Therefore, it’s crucial to help teens identify their core beliefs and personal values, which can serve as their compass during challenging times.

Identifying the signs of low self-esteem in teens is the first move in tackling the problem. Here are some clues to look out for, although it’s important to note that these are just some examples and not an exhaustive list:

• Negative Self-talk: Constantly belittling themselves and focusing on their flaws.
• Poor Academic Performance Low self-esteem can manifest in poor grades, as teens may believe they are not capable of achieving good things academically.
• Body Language: Signs like slouching or avoiding eye contact can indicate a lack of self-confidence.
• Withdrawal from Activities: An unwillingness to try new things or participate in social events may indicate low self-esteem.

55 Self-Esteem Activities for Teens

One of the best ways to help improve your teen’s self-esteem is through self-esteem activities designed to address specific issues. Here are some activities parents or schools could consider implementing to help build positive self-esteem in teenagers:

Activities that Address the Negative Impact of Social Media

• Digital Detox: Set a time limit for social media use daily. Encourage your teen to create a list of activities that don’t require an internet connection, such as reading, painting, or playing a musical instrument, to engage in during the offline periods.
• Media Literacy Workshops: Teach your teenager that what they see on social media is often a curated or manipulated version of reality. Many people post only the best aspects of their lives, use filters to enhance photos, or even stage scenarios for social validation. This can create a distorted view of reality and can be especially impactful on teens, who might compare their own lives to these idealized online portrayals.
• Photography Classes: Encourage capturing the beauty in everyday life rather than social media comparisons.
• Discussion Groups: Create a safe space to talk about the impact of social media on self-esteem.
• Online Creativity: Encourage your teen to focus on creating content like blogs or art.

Activities that Address Peer Pressure & Friendship

• Peer Mentoring: A role model can help provide guidance and build confidence. Having a mentor gives your teen someone to look up to and seek advice from, offering a supportive and positive influence in their life.
• Self-defense Classes: Learning self-defense techniques can boost your teen’s confidence by equipping them with the skills needed to protect themselves and instill a sense of empowerment and safety.
• Conflict Resolution Activities or Workshops: Equip your teen with communication skills. Learning to resolve conflicts through effective communication, active listening, and compromise will help them in many challenging social situations.
• Leadership Courses: By nurturing leadership qualities , your teen becomes better equipped to resist the influence of peer pressure and make choices that align with their own values.
• Role-Playing Activities: Role-playing allows teens to simulate real-world social interactions in a safe environment. It offers teens the opportunity to practice their responses, which can reduce anxiety and boost confidence when encountering similar real-world situations. For example, addressing issues like peer pressure to use substances or handling cyberbullying.
• Communication Skills Activities or Workshops : Focus on teaching effective ways to communicate , resolve conflicts, and build stronger interpersonal relationships, equipping teens to navigate various social settings.
• Team Sports or Group Activities : Build social skills. Participating in team sports or other group activities encourages cooperation, teaches the value of teamwork, and helps teens make connections outside their immediate social circles.
• Teach Empathy : Understanding others is crucial for meaningful relationships. Teaching empathy helps teens put themselves in others’ shoes, fostering greater understanding and more compassionate interactions.
• Teach problem-solving skills : Help your teen develop problem-solving and decision-making skills. When they can handle challenges effectively, they gain confidence in their abilities.
• Teach Assertiveness: Assertiveness is an important communication skill that will improve your teen’s social interactions and self-esteem .  We have a detailed post on this topic that includes a  free assertive communication checklist .

Activities to Address Academic Pressure

• Tutoring: Sometimes, a little extra help can result in good grades. The one-on-one attention your teen receives from tutoring can pinpoint areas of difficulty and address them directly, leading not just to improved grades but also increased self-confidence in academic capabilities.
• Mindfulness and Meditation: Practicing mindfulness can teach your teen to focus on the present moment, allowing them to gain a clearer perspective on their thoughts and feelings. 
• Study Groups: A supportive environment can make schoolwork seem less daunting. Being part of a study group provides your teen with a community of peers who can help break down complex subjects into manageable parts, making the study process more collaborative and less isolating.
• Teach them study techniques (time management, setting priorities, making a summary, and looking for key ideas in a text).
• Time Management Activities / Workshops: An important reason for academic pressure is poor time management. Provide your teen with provide practical tips and strategies for managing time more effectively.
• Outdoor Learning: Stepping away from traditional classroom settings and learning in nature can provide a fresh perspective, decrease stress levels, and positively influence your teen student’s well-being.

Activities to Explore/Discuss/Improve Body Image

• Yoga or Pilates:  Physical activity can improve both body and mind. Yoga and Pilates are examples of activities that not only enhance physical flexibility and strength but also focus on breathing and mindfulness, which can help your teen manage stress and feel more centered.
• Personal Style Journey : Encourage your teen to embark on a personal style journey to express themselves confidently. They can create mood boards, either digitally or physically, to identify the styles, colors, and outfits that resonate with them. Following this, they could plan a shopping day to experiment with these chosen styles.
• Nutrition and Cooking Classes : Educate on maintaining a healthy body image. Understanding the basics of nutrition and cooking can empower your teen to make healthier food choices, which can positively impact their body image and overall well-being.
• Dance Classes: Great for self-expression and body positivity. Dance allows for creative expression and can be a fun and uplifting way to get exercise. It can also help teens become more comfortable with their bodies and enhance their self-image.
• Fitness Challenges: Hard work in physical endeavors can bring a sense of achievement. Whether it’s completing a 5K run or mastering a difficult workout routine, the effort and discipline required to meet a fitness challenge can offer a substantial boost to your teen’s self-esteem.

Activities to Improve Family Dynamics

• Family Meetings: Open communication with family members can sometimes be an immediate remedy for low self-esteem. These gatherings provide a safe space for teens to voice their concerns and feel heard. Make sure to avoid judgment and criticism and that everybody gets a chance to speak.
• Shared Projects: Participating in family-shared projects, like creating a family crest or participating in volunteer work, can be very rewarding.
• Family Outings: Shared experiences can help build a positive family environment. Look for those activities that your teen may enjoy (a day at the beach, a family hiking trip) and provide an opportunity for family members to bond and for teens to feel a sense of belonging.
• Celebrate wins! Regularly praise their achievements, efforts, and progress. Acknowledging and celebrating your child’s accomplishments is a simple activity but can go a long way. The teen years can be so challenging, so why not boost self-esteem when you can? Celebrating positive things like academic achievement or even hearing positive self-talk deserves an award. 
• Parent-Teen Journal Exchange . This activity allows both parties to write down their thoughts, questions, and concerns in a shared journal. Every week, the journal can be exchanged between the parent and the teen, allowing each to read what the other has written and respond.
• Household Responsibilities:  Make sure that your teen has their own household chores and responsibilities . Adolescents must understand that all family members have a role in running the house and that parents cannot (and shouldn’t) do everything.
• What’s your opinion on this? Create moments to discuss their opinions on specific topics to show their point of view is important.
• Three-Minute Speech. I feel this game helps teens reflect and structure their thoughts on different topics and develop confidence in expressing their opinions. We used to play this game with my teen’s grandparents.  We would choose a topic, give ourselves a minute to think about it, and then we would go around the table delivering an impromptu mini-speech.

Activities to Explore Identity and Self-Discovery

• Travel : Cultural exposure for identity building. Traveling exposes teens to new perspectives and cultures, which can be instrumental in shaping their sense of self and broadening their worldview.
• Creative Writing or Journaling : Self-exploration through writing. Encouraging your teen to write creatively or maintain a journal can provide an intimate space for self-discovery, reflection, and emotional expression.
• Art Therapy : A non-verbal form of self-expression and exploration. Through artistic mediums like drawing, painting, or sculpting, teens can express emotions and thoughts they may find hard to verbalize, aiding in self-discovery and emotional well-being.
• Career Counseling : Explore potential future paths. This helps teens understand their strengths, interests, and values better, guiding them toward career paths that align with their innate talents and aspirations.
• Skill Workshops : Discover hidden talents or interests. These workshops offer a hands-on way for teens to try new activities and possibly discover new skills or hobbies they’re passionate about and aligned with their interests and strengths.

Other Activities to Improve Teen’s Self-Esteem

• Teach How to Set Goals / Goal Setting Activities:  Learning how to set and achieve goals can be a transformative experience for your teen. Teach them the importance of setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) and the steps required to reach them. This skill not only helps in academic and career planning but also provides your teen with a sense of purpose and direction, which can significantly boost their self-esteem. Reviewing achieved goals can serve as a confidence boost, reminding them of their capabilities and building self-esteem. 
• Host Diversity and Inclusion Movie Nights : Parents can curate a selection of films and documentaries that provide a broad understanding of various kinds of relationships and cultural identities. Follow it up with a guided discussion to engage teens in conversations about diversity and the importance of inclusion.
• Negative Self-Talk Exercise :  A negative self-talk exercise can help teens become more aware of their internal dialogue, understand its impact on their emotions and actions, and learn how to challenge and reframe these thoughts. Here’s a simple example of such an exercise:
• Ask the teen to recognize a specific negative thought they recently had, like “Nobody likes me.”
• Is this thought based on facts or assumptions?
• What would I say to a good friend who had this thought?
• Reframe the Thought: Help them come up with a more balanced or positive thought to replace the negative one.
• Ask them to compare the two thoughts and discuss how each one makes them feel. 
• Promote a Healthy Lifestyle
• a walk around the neighborhood after dinner
• playing soccer at the local park
• Finding a local teen night at the community center or skate night
• Encourage good nutrition and adequate sleep, as these factors can have a significant impact on a teen’s emotional well-being.
• Foster Independence : Allow your teen to make age-appropriate decisions and take responsibility for their choices. This helps build confidence and a sense of competence.
• Write a Gratitude Journal: Keeping a gratitude journal encourages teens to focus on the positive aspects of their lives. By regularly writing down things they are thankful for, your young person can shift their mindset away from negative thoughts, thereby improving their self-esteem and overall mental well-being.
• Practice Positive Affirmations. Positive affirmations are statements we tell ourselves for self-motivation or to challenge negative thoughts. Encourage your teen to practice  positive affirmations .
• Achievements Diary Keep a diary of achievements.
• Self-Esteem Bucket : This self-esteem activity is an exercise aimed at helping teens visualize and understand the concept of self-esteem. The bucket symbolizes one’s self-esteem, and the idea is to “fill your bucket” with positive affirmations, compliments, and achievements, represented by items like small pebbles, marbles, or slips of paper.
• Letter of Encouragement:  Have your teen write a heartfelt letter to themselves, highlighting their strengths and achievements. This serves as a tangible reminder of their self-worth for times when they’re feeling down.
• Positive Goals Diary: Encourage your teen to keep a diary dedicated to setting and tracking positive, achievable goals. This not only fosters a sense of accomplishment but also provides a written record of their progress, boosting self-esteem over time.
• Volunteer work in your local community can give your kids a sense of purpose and increase their confidence level.
• Strength Exploration Activity . Ask your teens to make a list of all their strengths and how they can help them achieve their objectives. Focusing on strengths is a fundamental mindset shift. It allows us to build from our strengths instead of placing all the focus on weaknesses and limitations.
• Teen self-esteem books and workbooks .  I have curated a list of  great self-esteem books and workbooks , and there is a section on recommended reading for teens. You can also check our Confident Teen Workbook.
• Self-Esteem worksheets Explore strengths, focus on the great things about yourself, and promote positive self-talk and reflection. Download a few self-esteem worksheets at the end of this post.
• Last but obviously not least,  seek professional help . With mental health, sometimes the best way to help boost your teenager’s self-perception is by reaching out to guidance counselors or a therapist who specializes in adolescent issues.

These activities serve as a great way to redirect negative energy into something productive. Incorporate self-esteem activities and strategies and provide your teen with the tools to build their positive self-image, helping them become a positive person when facing life challenges. 

Other Self-Esteem Resources

• The Confident TEEN Journal (Workbook)
• The Confident Kid Journal  (Self-Esteem Worksheets for Kids & Parents!)
• Activities to Improve Your Child’s Self-Esteem  
• Self-Esteem Games for Kids
• Positive Affirmations for Kids
• Things I Like About Myself

Download your Self-Esteem Worksheets for Teens

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I just want to thank you for you content. You content is spot on and the acitivities are very helpful. Thank you for helping me be a better counselor with the knowledge and information you post. My middle school students respond positively!

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8 free social emotional learning (sel) posters.

July 20 2021

Are you feeling a little stressed, anxious, or worried lately? It's natural to have these sorts of feelings at times, but it's important to know how to handle them so they don't take over your life. One great way to do this is to practice self-talk. This is just a fancy word for how you talk to yourself, and you start by asking yourself how you're feeling. The next step is to think about what you're feeling. If you feel like it's something you can do something about, then ask yourself what you can do to solve the problem. Now that the school year has started once again, it is understandable to feel this way. Children are social beings, and as they grow up, they develop many social and emotional skills that help them with their daily interactions with others. In order for children to grow up to be happy, well-adjusted adults, they too need to be aware of their emotions and how to manage them.

Our design team has created 8 social and emotional learning (SEL) posters that will encourage students and faculty to learn more about these concepts. These posters feature concepts and famous quotes which create inspiring and positive messages. These posters are an easy way for your schools to highlight the importance of providing an amazing learning environment and will help motivate your students and staff, encouraging them while they explore new interests and learning new skills!

Download the entire collection of FREE Social and Emotional Learning posters!

- 8 landscape-oriented posters

- 8 portrait-oriented posters

- available in high-resolution PDF formats

Social and Emotional Learning - Relationship Skills Poster

Building relationship skills is important for children because it builds trust, empathy, and responsibility. Children are more likely to engage in types of relationships that build these skills, which may lead to them being more successful in the types of relationships they form as adults. If parents model these skills, it will help children develop these skills as well.

Relationships are an important part of having a happy and fulfilling life. From business, to personal relationships, having relationship skills creates more opportunities to have a higher chance of succeeding in school. Children are more productive and those with good relationship skills are more likely to have successful relationships and a happier life.

Download the Relationship Skills Poster.

Social and Emotional Learning - Social Awareness Poster

Social awareness is one of the most important skills that children can learn and understand at an early age. Children must learn the value of other people and their time and energy. They must be taught that a person's time and energy is important, and that they should treat it with respect. Children should be taught to live a life where they are thoughtful of others, thoughtful of their choices, and mindful of other people and their feelings. Social awareness brings a sense of civility to the world.

Social and Emotional Learning - Self-Management Poster

Self-management is important for children because it teachers them how to act in different situations and adapt to different environments. For example, with self-management, children will be able to control their anger and frustration in order to handle the situation in the best way possible. This will help them be more understanding of others and be more understanding of themselves. Teaching children self-management will make them more respectful to others and more self-respectful to themselves. They will learn how to resolve conflict and manage their emotions. Teaching self-management to children will also allow them to have a better understanding of how their behavior effects others.

Download the Self-Management Poster.

-available in high-resolution PDF formats

Social and Emotional Learning - Self-Awareness Poster

Self-awareness is an important factor when it comes to education. The importance of this factor is that it promotes certain skills. These skills are the key components of success. Firstly, self-awareness can lead to more independence. Independence is necessary for children to be able to be successful in life. Next, self-awareness can lead to students being more accepting. This is because they'll start to be able to understand their feelings and what others are feeling. As a result, kids can accept challenges better because it creates positive instincts.

Download the Self-Awareness Poster.

Social and Emotional Learning - Responsible Decision-Making Poster

There are many, many reasons why responsible decision-making is important for children, but the most important is the long and short-term impact that irresponsible decisions have on the life of the children who made them. It's difficult for children to be successful adults if they haven't learned how to make responsible decisions. This is because in order to be successful adults they'll have to know how to manage their time, prioritize their tasks, and make smart and healthy decisions. The other important reason is that if children make irresponsible decisions in their childhood they tend to make the same decisions as adults. This means it's important to teach your children how to make responsible decisions now so they don't have to learn how to make them later.

Download the Responsible Decision-Making Poster.

Social and Emotional Learning - Compassion Poster

The word "compassion" means "to feel or show concern or pity" for another human being. The sentiment has a significant impact on health and well-being, including reduced stress and increases in happiness. This suggests that the sentiment is a valuable tool to manage chronic stress, which is linked to a variety of ailments, including depression. Compassion is important for children because not only does it have the ability to help them manage their chronic stress and mental health, it also helps them relate to others and be more empathetic.

Download the Compassion Poster.

Social and Emotional Learning - Empathy Poster

Empathy is important for children because it teachers them to have a sense of understanding about the feelings of others. When children are empathetic they want to help others and are kind to those around them. When people are in a situation where they are feeling bad for themselves, having empathetic children will make them feel better. When children are empathetic they have better social skills and are more confident. Empathy also helps build a sense of confidence and responsibility in children. When children have empathy they are less likely to bully other children or spread rumors about other children. Empathy is also important because it can make the world a better place. 

Download the Empathy Poster.

Social and Emotional Learning - Composite Poster

Schools are learning environments. Children are not just learning facts about their subjects, but they are also learning how to be good people. There is an opportunity for children to learn to be good people throughout the course of the school day. Teachers are one of the first role models children's see, so they should lead by example. If teachers are kind to others and patient with children, it sends the message to children that they should be kind and patient to others, too. Behaviors modeled by teachers should always be followed in a respectful manner.

Download the Composite Poster.

The free social and emotional learning poster set is available in both portrait and landscape orientations in PDF format. This gives lots of options and flexibility for sharing this information with students, whether online through slide decks, on social media, or in emails. These back to school assets are ideal for use in classrooms, hallways or bulletin boards. Also, with Rise Vision, these posters can be accessed as free templates that can be shared on digital signage throughout your school.

Start a free 14-day trial of Rise Vision here.

Let us know if you have any suggestions for new posters. We would love to hear how you use these posters.

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The Worry Waterfall – Anxiety Management Poster

Teach your students how to deal effectively with worrying thoughts with this classroom poster.

Growth and Fixed Mindset Poster

Help your students decide which type of mindset they currently have with this poster.

Positive Self-Talk Poster: Talking to Myself

Highlight the benefits of positive self talk and having a growth mindset with this classroom poster.

Managing Big Emotions Anchor Charts

Help students manage emotions such as anger, fear, worry, sadness and happiness with this colorful set of anchor charts for your elementary school classroom.

Emotions in Spanish Anchor Chart

Help your bilingual students express their emotions in Spanish with a classroom poster.

What's Your Mindset Level? - Poster

Encourage your students to adopt a growth mindset with this engaging classroom poster.

How Big Emotions Feel in My Body – Poster

Help your students identify the signs their body gives them that they are experiencing a "big" emotion with this informative classroom poster.

The Power of YET Poster Set

Encourage your students to change their growth mindset with this set of posters.

Ways to Build Self-Esteem Classroom Poster

Nurture your students by providing them with simple ways to build up their self-esteem with this set of classroom posters.

Building Self-Esteem Poster Set

Help your students learn how to boost their own self-esteem with this set of classroom posters.

All About Strengths Poster and Worksheet Pack

Help your students identify their personal strengths and weaknesses with this poster and worksheet pack.

Emotional Self-Regulation Check-In Posters

Promote emotional awareness and self-regulation in your classroom with this daily mood check-in routine.

Student Daily Check-In Template

Check-in with your students each day with this template.

Are We There Yet? – Growth Mindset Progress Chart

Help your students develop a growth mindset by reflecting on their learning progress with this progress tracking chart.

Synonym Poster Pack - Emotions Chart Display

A series of posters that display different words that can be used for different emotions.

Characteristics of Emotions - Poster Set

Learn the facial expressions and body cues that accompany the most common emotional states with this poster set.

What Is Anger? Poster

Teach your students to understand and manage anger with this informative classroom display poster.

How Are You Feeling Today? Poster

Help students to recognize and identify their feelings and emotions with this colorful classroom display poster.

The Feelings Flow — Classroom Poster

Help students understand the transient nature of emotions with this simple poem about feelings.

Growth Mindset Vertical Chart With a Pirate Theme

Get your students reflecting on their learning progress with this vertical tracking chart.

The Magic of Independent Learning – Vertical Chart

Chart your students' learning progress with this set of 8 vertical tracking sheets.

The Science of Independent Learning – Vertical Chart

Chart your students' learning progress on this set of 8 vertical tracking sheets.

The Adventures of Pirate Nope and Captain Yet – Comic

Problem-solve common challenges at school with a set of 4 comic-style posters.

Growth Mindset Posters - Pirate Nope's Odyssey: It's Not Over Yet

Remind your students what a "can-do attitude" looks like in the classroom with this set of 8 posters.

Are We There Yet? Captain Yet's Joyous Journey – Poster

A Captain Yet poster to help students learn more resourcefully and independently in the classroom.

Growth Mindset Posters - Captain Yet's Joyous Journey

Growth Mindset-Themed Yet vs Nope Classroom Poster

Print a growth mindset-themed set of posters for your classroom that compare positive and negative learning attitudes.

Captain Yet – Values Poster

A Captain Yet poster to help students focus on positive learning habits.

Captain Yet: Pirate Nope's Odyssey It's Not Over Yet – Poster

A Pirate Nope poster to help students learn more resourcefully and independently in the classroom.

Weather-Themed How Are You Feeling? Poster and Flashcards

A visual resource to help students verbalize how they are feeling.

Emotional Self-Regulation Poster

Promote emotional awareness and self-regulation in your classroom with this classroom poster.

The Science of Independent Learning – Individual Posters

Help your students become independent learners with this set of 8 strategy posters.

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Self Esteem Worksheets

Customize self esteem templates.

If you're assigning this to your students, copy the worksheet to your account and save. When creating an assignment, just select it as a template!

Developing positive self esteem is crucial for a person's overall well being and future achievement. Using these educational worksheets can be an extremely effective way for teachers to help children get a sense of self-assuredness, identify positive personal qualities, and develop healthy coping strategies to manage stress. Now, let’s explore the value of self these templates and provide tips and printable templates to easily integrate self esteem-building activities into lessons across grades and subjects.

What are Self Esteem Worksheets, and Why are They Important?

Self esteem worksheets for kids and teens (and even adults) are specially designed to teach them the inherent value they each possess within, promote positive self-talk habits, and guide kids to recognize their personal strengths, talents and reflect on their positive qualities. They use insightful self reflection prompts, fill-in-the-blank exercises, discussion questions and other engaging activities to empower youngsters to actively explore and cultivate self-worth.

Teachers can access both free and premium self esteem printable worksheets featuring ready-to-use templates that are grade-level and age-appropriate. Specialized worksheets are available not only for elementary, middle and high school students in general, but also for teens and children facing particular emotional challenges like bullying, learning disabilities, ADHD or anxiety.

The Benefits of Using a Self Esteem Worksheet in Student Learning

Intentionally incorporating a worksheet into class activities provides profound benefits for nurturing confidence, self-acceptance and personal growth. Some of the key advantages include:

• Promotes Healthy Self Reflection: The interactive prompts seamlessly built into a high-quality self esteem worksheet encourage all kids to take a break from academics to turn inward. Kids are guided to identify existing positive qualities, skills and past achievements, which can build self-knowledge and reinforce human value. Providing kids with emotional check-in worksheets is also good practice.
• Teaches Healthy Coping Mechanisms: The activities and exercises built into printable self esteem worksheets can help kids carefully articulate current sources of stress or worry. Self esteem worksheets for kids then walk them through beginning to practice actionable coping strategies to independently manage anxious feelings, reduce stress levels, and even deal with bullying by biased peers.
• Organically Encourages Insightful Class Discussions: These activities hosted in a safe space foster thoughtful meta-cognitive class conversations where all children feel comfortable exploring the deepest topics of worth, respect, and self-love. This allows the reflective process to become collaborative.
• Reinforces a Growth Mindset: When children fill out targeted positive worksheets on a regular basis, it inherently teaches an incremental theory of self-assuredness. They progressively grasp concepts emphasizing that qualities like resilience, academic ability, creativity, and motivation can actively be improved over time.
• Adaptable for All Learning Goals and Subjects: These versatile resources can smoothly augment and enhance existing lesson plans. Teachers can fit a positive self esteem worksheet for kids not only into health and physical education classes, but also into topics in English, journalism, language arts, social studies, history, advising periods or morning homeroom community meetings.

5 Key Tips for Using Self Esteem Worksheets For Kids Successfully

When making the most of these free self esteem worksheets for your class, keep the following five tips in mind as guiding principles:

• Evaluate Grade Level Appropriateness: Carefully review all content within worksheet packs to confirm activities and vocabulary will be accessible and compelling for your class's current ages and reading comprehension levels. For example, younger elementary schoolers often gravitate towards more visual illustration-style prompts, sorting exercises, and filling-in-the-blank templates. Meanwhile, middle school pre-teens may flourish when articulating deeper self-reflection through mature prompts for journaling, poster making, letter writing or creative vision board style goal-setting templates.
• Customize Support to Each Student: Schedule periodic one-on-one check-ins or meetings with those who would especially benefit from more focused supplemental self-image building. This personalized attention, alongside self esteem worksheets for teens, can work wonders.
• Teach Healthy Coping Habits: Use accompanying stress management worksheets to articulate sources of worry and constructive tactics to relax and reframe unhelpful thought patterns. Refer kids needing more advanced cognitive behavioral therapy tools to the school counselor.
• Introduce Self Esteem Concepts Year Round: Consistently revisiting self-reflection around self-worth at multiple points throughout the academic year further ingrains these metacognitive skills. Referencing back to past worksheet prompts also allows learners to clearly chart exciting personal growth over time.
• Pair Worksheets With Insightful Class Discussions: After kids spend quality individual time filling out free printable self esteem worksheets for youth independently, be sure to purposely bring the full class back together again. Dedicate space welcoming everyone to voluntarily discuss and share worksheets aloud and describe any new takeaways, insights or revelations around self-assurance.
• Actively Engage Multiple Learning Styles: Supplement traditional worksheets with supplemental activities spanning creative art therapy, music, photo collages visually capturing kids' self-image journeys, inspirational vision boards showcasing future dreams, written affirmation exercises or even calming mindfulness practices like mindful breathing. Tapping into learning styles across the full spectrum further reaches more individuals.

5 Unique Printable Self Esteem Worksheet Activity Ideas

• Make Positive Affirmation Flashcards: Every student can hand make a personalized deck of affirmation flashcards actively stating their goals, strengths, growing edges or simple uplifting mantras to reference whenever needing some encouragement. These are great references in defeating future self-doubt.
• Make Bullying Coping Worksheets: Refer children to our specialized bullying worksheets equipping personal strategies to overcome tormentors and re-claim self-confidence after targeted harassment.
• Design Success Vision Boards: Allow ample arts and crafts materials to creatively construct their own success collages packed with motivational quotes, celebrity role model headshots, or magazine clippings symbolically representing dreams coming true. These physical vision boards showcase self-assurance.
• Launch Gratitude Journals: Instruct the class to purchase blank journals designed solely for actively listing brief bullet points documenting everything encountered daily that brings them joy, no matter how simple. Consistently journaling gratitude powerfully trains the mind to adopt a positive lens.
• Pen Inspiring Advice Letters to Your Future Self: Kids instantly connect better advice to give their hypothetical future selves 10 full years down the road. Capturing this wisdom onto paper for safekeeping mails inspiration forward.
• Take Self Esteem Questionnaire Surveys: Pre-designed self esteem worksheet questionnaires guide kids to privately reflect and then actively write down or circle their personal interests, values, skills, passions and knowledge. These surveys inherently reveal pages already written documenting all that makes every student wonderfully unique.

How to Make Self Esteem Worksheets

Choose one of the premade templates.

We have lots of templates to choose from. Take a look at our example for inspiration!

Click on “Copy Template”

Once you do this, you will be directed to the storyboard creator.

Give Your Worksheet a Name!

Be sure to call it something related to the topic so that you can easily find it in the future.

Edit Your Worksheet

This is where you will include directions, specific images, and make any aesthetic changes that you would like. The options are endless!

Click "Save and Exit"

When you are finished, click this button in the lower right hand corner to exit your storyboard.

From here you can print, download as a PDF, attach it to an assignment and use it digitally, and more!

Happy Creating!

Frequently Asked Questions about Self Esteem Worksheets

Where can i easily find free printable self-esteem worksheets to instantly access for my students.

We offer an entire suite of both cost-free and premium printable self-esteem worksheet templates ready for instant access at Storyboard That. All worksheet concepts are creatively designed by teachers for seamless classroom integration.

What specific elements make an effective self-esteem worksheet actually impactful for students?

The most successful worksheets include open-ended questions and targeted fill-in-the-blank prompts seamlessly encouraging students to actively apply compiled self-esteem research principles directly to their own real lives. These insights are then internalized as personalized takeaways.

Which students stand to benefit the absolute most from targeted self-esteem worksheet interventions?

Certainly, while all students have the capacity to gain profound self-knowledge around self confidence from thoughtful worksheet prompts, students who face learning disabilities, societal marginalization or medical conditions like anxiety and ADHD tend to show the most dramatic gains.

Are there any other printable worksheets helping students with related social-emotional skills?

Yes, also explore our worksheets building social cues & skills to master emotional intelligence and forge healthy peer relationships. Older high schoolers may also benefit from targeted goal setting worksheets mapping out practical action plans towards confidence building vision boards.

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What is Self-Esteem? A Psychologist Explains

“Believe in yourself.”

That is the message that we encounter constantly, in books, television shows, superhero comics, and common myths and legends.

We are told that we can accomplish anything if we believe in ourselves.

Of course, we know that to be untrue; we cannot accomplish anything in the world simply through belief—if that were true, a lot more children would be soaring in the skies above their garage roof instead of lugging around a cast for a few weeks!

However, we know that believing in yourself and accepting yourself for who you are is an important factor in success, relationships, and happiness and that self-esteem plays an important role in living a flourishing life . It provides us with belief in our abilities and the motivation to carry them out, ultimately reaching fulfillment as we navigate life with a positive outlook.

Various studies have confirmed that self-esteem has a direct relationship with our overall wellbeing, and we would do well to keep this fact in mind—both for ourselves and for those around us, particularly the developing children we interact with.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you show more compassion to yourself but will also give you the tools to enhance the self-compassion of your clients, students or employees and lead them to a healthy sense of self-esteem.

This Article Contains:

• What is the Meaning of Self-esteem? A Definition

Self-Esteem and Psychology

Incorporating self-esteem in positive psychology, 22 examples of high self-esteem, 18 surprising statistics and facts about self-esteem, relevant research, can we help boost self-esteem issues with therapy and counseling, the benefits of developing self-esteem with meditation, can you test self-esteem, and what are the problems with assessment, 17 factors that influence self-esteem, the effects of social media, 30 tips & affirmations for enhancing self-esteem, popular books on self-esteem (pdf), ted talks and videos on self-esteem, 15 quotes on self-esteem, a take-home message, what is the meaning of self-esteem.

You probably already have a good idea, but let’s start from the beginning anyway: what is self-esteem?

Self-esteem refers to a person’s overall sense of his or her value or worth. It can be considered a sort of measure of how much a person “values, approves of, appreciates, prizes, or likes him or herself” (Adler & Stewart, 2004).

According to self-esteem expert Morris Rosenberg, self-esteem is quite simply one’s attitude toward oneself (1965). He described it as a “favourable or unfavourable attitude toward the self”.

Various factors believed to influence our self-esteem include:

• Personality
• Life experiences
• Social circumstances
• The reactions of others
• Comparing the self to others

An important note is that self-esteem is not fixed. It is malleable and measurable, meaning we can test for and improve upon it.

Self-esteem and self-acceptance are often confused or even considered identical by most people. Let’s address this misconception by considering some fundamental differences in the nature and consequences of self-esteem and unconditional self-acceptance.

• Self-esteem is based on evaluating the self, and rating one’s behaviors and qualities as positive or negative, which results in defining the self as worthy or non-worthy (Ellis, 1994).
• Self-acceptance, however, is how the individual relates to the self in a way that allows the self to be as it is. Acceptance is neither positive nor negative; it embraces all aspects and experiences of the self (Ellis, 1976).
• Self-esteem relies on comparisons to evaluate the self and ‘decide’ its worth.
• Self-acceptance, stems from the realization that there is no objective basis for determining the value of a human being. So with self-acceptance, the individual affirms who they are without any need for comparisons.
• Self-esteem is contingent on external factors, such as performance, appearance, or social approval, that form the basis on which the self is evaluated.
• With self-acceptance, a person feels satisfied with themselves despite external factors, as this sense of worthiness is not derived from meeting specific standards.
• Self-esteem is fragile (Kernis & Lakey, 2010).
• Self-acceptance provides a secure and enduring positive relationship with the self (Kernis & Lakey, 2010).
• When it comes to the consequences on wellbeing, while self-esteem appears to be associated with some markers of wellbeing, such as high life satisfaction (Myers & Diener, 1995) and less anxiety (Brockner, 1984), there is also a “dark side” of self-esteem, characterized by egotism and narcissism (Crocker & Park, 2003).
• Self-acceptance is strongly associated with numerous positive markers of general psychological wellbeing (MacInnes, 2006).

Self-esteem has been a hot topic in psychology for decades, going about as far back as psychology itself. Even Freud , who many consider the founding father of psychology (although he’s a bit of an estranged father at this point), had theories about self-esteem at the heart of his work.

What self-esteem is, how it develops (or fails to develop) and what influences it has kept psychologists busy for a long time, and there’s no sign that we’ll have it all figured out anytime soon!

While there is much we still have to learn about self-esteem, we have at least been able to narrow down what self-esteem is and how it differs from other, similar constructs. Read on to learn what sets self-esteem apart from other self-directed traits and states.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Concept

Self-esteem is not self-concept, although self-esteem may be a part of self-concept. Self-concept is the perception that we have of ourselves, our answer when we ask ourselves the question “Who am I?” It is knowing about one’s own tendencies, thoughts, preferences and habits, hobbies, skills, and areas of weakness.

Put simply, the awareness of who we are is our concept of our self .

Purkey (1988) describes self-concept as:

“the totality of a complex, organized, and dynamic system of learned beliefs, attitudes and opinions that each person holds to be true about his or her personal existence”.

According to Carl Rogers, founder of client-centered therapy , self-concept is an overarching construct that self-esteem is one of the components of it (McLeod, 2008).

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Image

Another similar term with a different meaning is self-image; self-image is similar to self-concept in that it is all about how you see yourself (McLeod, 2008). Instead of being based on reality, however, it can be based on false and inaccurate thoughts about ourselves. Our self-image may be close to reality or far from it, but it is generally not completely in line with objective reality or with the way others perceive us.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Worth

Self-esteem is a similar concept to self-worth but with a small (although important) difference: self-esteem is what we think, feel, and believe about ourselves, while self-worth is the more global recognition that we are valuable human beings worthy of love (Hibbert, 2013).

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Confidence

Self-esteem is not self-confidence ; self-confidence is about your trust in yourself and your ability to deal with challenges, solve problems, and engage successfully with the world (Burton, 2015). As you probably noted from this description, self-confidence is based more on external measures of success and value than the internal measures that contribute to self-esteem.

One can have high self-confidence, particularly in a certain area or field, but still lack a healthy sense of overall value or self-esteem.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Efficacy

Similar to self-confidence, self-efficacy is also related to self-esteem but not a proxy for it. Self-efficacy refers to the belief in one’s ability to succeed at certain tasks (Neil, 2005). You could have high self-efficacy when it comes to playing basketball, but low self-efficacy when it comes to succeeding in math class.

Unlike self-esteem, self-efficacy is more specific rather than global, and it is based on external success rather than internal worth.

Self-Esteem vs. Self-Compassion

Finally, self-esteem is also not self-compassion. Self-compassion centers on how we relate to ourselves rather than how we judge or perceive ourselves (Neff, n.d.). Being self-compassionate means we are kind and forgiving to ourselves, and that we avoid being harsh or overly critical of ourselves. Self-compassion can lead us to a healthy sense of self-esteem, but it is not in and of itself self-esteem.

We explore this further in The Science of Self-Acceptance Masterclass© .

Esteem in Maslow’s Theory – The Hierarchy of Needs

The mention of esteem may bring to mind the fourth level of Maslow’s pyramid : esteem needs.

While these needs and the concept of self-esteem are certainly related, Maslow’s esteem needs are more focused on external measures of esteem, such as respect, status, recognition, accomplishment, and prestige (McLeod, 2017).

There is a component of self-esteem within this level of the hierarchy, but Maslow felt that the esteem of others was more important for development and need fulfillment than self-esteem.

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Dr. Martin Seligman has some concerns about openly accepting self-esteem as part of positive psychology . He worries that people live in the world where self-esteem is injected into a person’s identity, not caring in how it is done, as long as the image of “confidence” is obtained. He expressed the following in 2006:

I am not against self-esteem, but I believe that self-esteem is just a meter that reads out the state of the system. It is not an end in itself. When you are doing well in school or work, when you are doing well with the people you love, when you are doing well in play, the meter will register high. When you are doing badly, it will register low. (p. v)

Seligman makes a great point, as it is important to take his words into consideration when looking at self-esteem. Self-esteem and positive psychology may not marry quite yet, so it is important to look at what research tells us about self-esteem before we construct a rationale for it as positive psychology researcher, coach, or practitioner.

Examples of these characteristics are being open to criticism, acknowledging mistakes, being comfortable with giving and receiving compliments, and displaying a harmony between what one says, does, looks, sounds, and moves.

People with high self-esteem are unafraid to show their curiosity, discuss their experiences, ideas, and opportunities. They can also enjoy the humorous aspects of their lives and are comfortable with social or personal assertiveness (Branden, 1992).

Although low self-esteem has received more attention than high self-esteem, the positive psychology movement has brought high self-esteem into the spotlight. We now know more about what high self-esteem looks like and how it can be cultivated.

We know that people with high self-esteem:

• Appreciate themselves and other people.
• Enjoy growing as a person and finding fulfillment and meaning in their lives.
• Are able to dig deep within themselves and be creative.
• Make their own decisions and conform to what others tell them to be and do only when they agree.
• See the word in realistic terms, accepting other people the way they are while pushing them toward greater confidence and a more positive direction.
• Can easily concentrate on solving problems in their lives.
• Have loving and respectful relationships.
• Know what their values are and live their lives accordingly.
• Speak up and tell others their opinions, calmly and kindly, and share their wants and needs with others.
• Endeavor to make a constructive difference in other people’s lives (Smith & Harte, n.d.).

We also know that there are some simple ways to tell if you have high self-esteem. For example, you likely have high self-esteem if you:

• Act assertively without experiencing any guilt, and feel at ease communicating with others.
• Avoid dwelling on the past and focus on the present moment.
• Believe you are equal to everyone else, no better and no worse.
• Reject the attempts of others to manipulate you.
• Recognize and accept a wide range of feelings, both positive and negative, and share them within your healthy relationships.
• Enjoy a healthy balance of work, play, and relaxation .
• Accept challenges and take risks in order to grow, and learn from your mistakes when you fail.
• Handle criticism without taking it personally, with the knowledge that you are learning and growing and that your worth is not dependent on the opinions of others.
• Value yourself and communicate well with others, without fear of expressing your likes, dislikes, and feelings.
• Value others and accept them as they are without trying to change them (Self Esteem Awareness, n.d.).

Based on these characteristics, we can come up with some good examples of what high self-esteem looks like.

Imagine a high-achieving student who takes a difficult exam and earns a failing grade. If she has high self-esteem, she will likely chalk up her failure to factors like not studying hard enough, a particularly difficult set of questions, or simply having an “off” day. What she doesn’t do is conclude that she must be stupid and that she will probably fail all future tests too.

Having a healthy sense of self-esteem guides her toward accepting reality, thinking critically about why she failed, and problem-solving instead of wallowing in self-pity or giving up.

For a second example, think about a young man out on a first date. He really likes the young woman he is going out with, so he is eager to make a good impression and connect with her. Over the course of their discussion on the date, he learns that she is motivated and driven by completely different values and has very different taste in almost everything.

Instead of going along with her expressed opinions on things, he offers up his own views and isn’t afraid to disagree with her. His high self-esteem makes him stay true to his values and allows him to easily communicate with others, even when they don’t agree. To him, it is more important to behave authentically than to focus on getting his date to like him.

23 Examples of Self-Esteem Issues

Here are 23 examples of issues that can manifest from low self-esteem:

• You people please
• You’re easily angered or irritated
• You feel your opinion isn’t important
• You hate you
• What you do is never good enough
• You’re highly sensitive to others opinions
• The world doesn’t feel safe
• You doubt every decision
• You regularly experience the emotions of sadness and worthlessness
• You find it hard keeping relationships
• You avoid taking risks or trying new things
• You engage in addictive avoidance behaviors
• You struggle with confidence
• You find it difficult creating boundaries
• You give more attention to your weaknesses
• You are often unsure of who you are
• You feel negative experiences are all consuming
• You struggle to say no
• You find it difficult asking for your needs to be met
• You hold a pessimistic or negative outlook on life
• You doubt your abilities or chances of success
• You frequently experience negative emotions, such as fear, anxiety or depression
• You compare yourself with others and often you come in second best

It can be hard to really wrap your mind around self-esteem and why it is so important. To help you out, we’ve gathered a list of some of the most significant and relevant findings about self-esteem and low self-esteem in particular.

Although some of these facts may make sense to you, you will likely find that at least one or two surprise you—specifically those pertaining to the depth and breadth of low self-esteem in people (and particularly young people and girls).

• Adolescent boys with high self-esteem are almost two and a half times more likely to initiate sex than boys with low self-esteem, while girls with high self-esteem are three times more likely to delay sex than girls with low self-esteem (Spencer, Zimet, Aalsma, & Orr, 2002).
• Low self-esteem is linked to violence, school dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, suicide, and low academic achievement (Misetich & Delis-Abrams, 2003).
• About 44% of girls and 15% of boys in high school are attempting to lose weight (Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, n.d.).
• Seven in 10 girls believe that they are not good enough or don’t measure up in some way (Dove Self-Esteem Fund, 2008).
• A girl’s self-esteem is more strongly related to how she views her own body shape and body weight than how much she actually weighs (Dove Self-Esteem Fund, 2008).
• Nearly all women (90%) want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).
• The vast majority (81%) of 10-year old girls are afraid of being fat (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).
• About one in four college-age women have an eating disorder (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).
• Only 2% of women think they are beautiful (Confidence Coalition, n.d.).
• Absent fathers, poverty, and a low-quality home environment have a negative impact on self-esteem (Orth, 2018).

These facts on low self-esteem are alarming and disheartening, but thankfully they don’t represent the whole story. The whole story shows that there are many people with a healthy sense of self-esteem, and they enjoy some great benefits and advantages. For instance, people with healthy self-esteem:

• Are less critical of themselves and others.
• Are better able to handle stress and avoid the unhealthy side effects of stress.
• Are less likely to develop an eating disorder.
• Are less likely to feel worthless, guilty, and ashamed .
• Are more likely to be assertive about expressing and getting what they want.
• Are able to build strong, honest relationships and are more likely to leave unhealthy ones.
• Are more confident in their ability to make good decisions.
• Are more resilient and able to bounce back when faced with disappointment, failure, and obstacles (Allegiance Health, 2015).

Given the facts on the sad state of self-esteem in society and the positive outcomes associated with high self-esteem, it seems clear that looking into how self-esteem can be built is a worthwhile endeavor.

Luckily, there are many researchers who have tackled this topic. Numerous studies have shown us that it is possible to build self-esteem, especially in children and young people.

How? There are many ways!

Recent research found a correlation between self-esteem and optimism with university students from Brazil (Bastianello, Pacico & Hutz & 2014). One of the most interesting results came from a cross-cultural research on life satisfaction and self-esteem, which was conducted in 31 countries.

They found differences in self-esteem between collective and individualistic cultures with self-esteem being lower in collectivist cultures. Expressing personal emotions, attitudes, and cognitive thoughts are highly associated with self-esteem, collectivist cultures seem to have a drop in self-esteem because of a lack of those characteristics (Diener & Diener 1995).

China, a collectivist culture, found that self-esteem was a significant predictor of life satisfaction (Chen, Cheung, Bond & Leung, 2006). They found that similar to other collectivist cultures, self-esteem also had an effect on resilience with teenagers. Teenagers with low self-esteem had a higher sense of hopelessness and had low resilience (Karatas, 2011).

In more individualistic cultures, teenagers who were taught to depend on their beliefs, behaviors, and felt open to expressing their opinion had more resilience and higher self-esteem (Dumont & Provost, 1999).

School-based programs that pair students with mentors and focus on relationships, building, self-esteem enhancements, goal setting , and academic assistance have been proven to enhance students’ self-esteem, improve relationships with others, reduce depression and bullying behaviors (King, Vidourek, Davis, & McClellan, 2009).

Similarly, elementary school programs that focus on improving self-esteem through short, classroom-based sessions also have a positive impact on students’ self-esteem, as well as reducing problem behaviors and strengthening connections between peers (Park & Park, 2014).

However, the potential to boost your self-esteem and reap the benefits is not limited to students! Adults can get in on this endeavour as well, although the onus will be on them to make the changes necessary.

Self-esteem researcher and expert Dr. John M. Grohol outlined six practical tips on how to increase your sense of self-esteem, which include:

6 Practical Tips on How to Increase Self-Esteem

1. take a self-esteem inventory to give yourself a baseline..

It can be as simple as writing down 10 of your strengths and 10 of your weaknesses. This will help you to begin developing an honest and realistic conception of yourself.

2. Set realistic expectations.

It’s important to set small, reachable goals that are within your power. For example, setting an extremely high expectation or an expectation that someone else will change their behavior is virtually guaranteed to make you feel like a failure, through no fault of your own.

3. Stop being a perfectionist.

Acknowledge both your accomplishments and mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and trying to be will only lead to disappointment. Acknowledging your accomplishments and recognizing your mistakes is the way to keep a positive outlook while learning and growing from your mistakes.

4. Explore yourself.

The importance of knowing yourself and being at peace with who you are cannot be overstated. This can take some trial and error, and you will constantly learn new things about yourself, but it is a journey that should be undertaken with purpose and zeal.

5. Be willing to adjust your self-image.

We all change as we age and grow, and we must keep up with our ever-changing selves if we want to set and achieve meaningful goals.

6. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Comparing ourselves to others is a trap that is extremely easy to fall into, especially today with social media and the ability to project a polished, perfected appearance. The only person you should compare yourself to is you (Grohol, 2011).

The Positivity Blog also offers some helpful tips on enhancing your self-esteem, including:

• Say “stop” to your inner critic.
• Use healthier motivation habits.
• Take a 2-minute self-appreciation break.
• Write down 3 things in the evening that you can appreciate about yourself.
• Do the right thing.
• Replace the perfectionism.
• Handle mistakes and failures in a more positive way.
• Be kinder towards other people .
• Try something new.
• Stop falling into the comparison trap.
• Spend more time with supportive people (and less time with destructive people).
• Remember the “whys” of high self-esteem (Edberg, 2017).

Another list of specific, practical things you can do to develop and maintain a good sense of self-esteem comes from the Entrepreneur website:

• Use distancing pronouns. When you are experiencing stress or negative self-talk, try putting it in more distant terms (e.g., instead of saying “I am feeling ashamed,” try saying “Courtney is feeling ashamed.”). This can help you to see the situation as a challenge rather than a threat.
• Remind yourself of your achievements. The best way to overcome imposter syndrome—the belief that, despite all of your accomplishments, you are a failure and a fraud—is to list all of your personal successes. You might be able to explain a couple of them away as a chance, but they can’t all be due to luck!
• Move more! This can be as simple as a short walk or as intense as a several-mile run, as quick as striking a “power pose” or as long as a two-hour yoga session; it doesn’t matter exactly what you do, just that you get more in touch with your body and improve both your health and your confidence.
• Use the “five-second” rule. No, not the one about food that is dropped on the ground! This five-second rule is about following up good thoughts and inspiring ideas with action. Do something to make that great idea happen within five seconds.
• Practice visualizing your success. Close your eyes and take a few minutes to imagine the scenario in which you have reached your goals, using all five senses and paying attention to the details.
• Be prepared—for whatever situation you are about to encounter. If you are going into a job interview, make sure you have practiced, know about the company, and have some good questions ready to ask. If you are going on a date, take some time to boost your confidence, dress well, and have a plan A and a plan B (and maybe even a plan C!) to make sure it goes well.
• Limit your usage of social media. Spend less time looking at a screen and more time experiencing the world around you.
• Meditate. Establish a regular meditation practice to inspect your thoughts, observe them, and separate yourself from them. Cultivating a sense of inner peace will go a long way towards developing healthy self-esteem.
• Keep your goals a secret. You don’t need to keep all of your hopes and dreams to yourself, but make sure you save some of your goal striving and success for just you—it can make you more likely to meet them and also more satisfied when you do.
• Practice affirmations (like the ones listed later in this piece). Make time to regularly say positive things about yourself and situations in which you often feel uncertain.
• Build your confidence through failure. Use failure as an opportunity to learn and grow, and seek out failure by trying new things and taking calculated risks (Laurinavicius, 2017).

Now that we have a good idea of how to improve self-esteem , there is an important caveat to the topic: many of the characteristics and factors that we believe result from self-esteem may also influence one’s sense of self-esteem, and vice versa.

For example, although we recommend improving self-esteem to positively impact grades or work performance, success in these areas is at least somewhat dependent on self-esteem as well.

Similarly, those who have a healthy level of self-esteem are more likely to have positive relationships, but those with positive relationships are also more likely to have healthy self-esteem, likely because the relationship works in both directions.

While there is nothing wrong with boosting your self-esteem, keep in mind that in some cases you may be putting the cart before the horse, and commit to developing yourself in several areas rather than just working on enhancing your self-esteem.

Based on research like that described above, we have learned that there are many ways therapy and counseling can help clients to improve their self-esteem.

If done correctly, therapy can be an excellent method of enhancing self-esteem, especially if it’s low to begin with.

Here are some of the ways therapy and counseling can a client’s boost self-esteem:

• When a client shares their inner thoughts and feelings with the therapist, and the therapist responds with acceptance and compassion rather than judgment or correction, this can build the foundations of healthy self-esteem for the client.
• This continued acceptance and unconditional positive regard encourage the client to re-think some of their assumptions, and come to the conclusion that “Maybe there’s nothing wrong with me after all!”
• The therapist can explain that self-esteem is a belief rather than a fact and that beliefs are based on our experiences; this can help the client understand that he could be exactly the same person as he is right now and have high self-esteem instead of low, if he had different experiences that cultivated a sense of high self-esteem instead of low self-esteem.
• The therapist can offer the client new experiences upon which to base this new belief about herself, experiences in which the client is “basically acceptable” instead of “basically wrong.” The therapist’s acceptance of the client can act as a model for the client of how she can accept herself.
• Most importantly, the therapist can accept the client for who he is and affirm his thoughts and feelings as acceptable rather than criticizing him for them. The therapist does not need to approve of each and every action taken by the client, but showing acceptance and approval of who he is at the deepest level will have an extremely positive impact on his own belief in his worth and value as a person (Gilbertson, 2016).

Following these guidelines will encourage your client to develop a better sense of self-love , self-worth, self-acceptance , and self-esteem, as well as discouraging “needless shame” and learning how to separate herself from her behavior (Gilbertson, 2016).

One of these methods is meditation—yes, you can add yet another benefit of meditation to the list! However, not only can we develop self-esteem through meditation , we also gain some other important benefits.

When we meditate, we cultivate our ability to let go and to keep our thoughts and feelings in perspective. We learn to simply observe instead of actively participate in every little experience that pops into our head. In other words, we are “loosening the grip we have on our sense of self” (Puddicombe, 2015).

While this may sound counterintuitive to developing and maintaining a positive sense of self, it is actually a great way to approach it. Through meditation, we gain the ability to become aware of our inner experiences without over-identifying with them, letting our thoughts pass by without judgment or a strong emotional response.

As meditation expert Andy Puddicombe notes, low self-esteem can be understood as the result of over-identification with the self. When we get overly wrapped up in our sense of self, whether that occurs with a focus on the positive (I’m the BEST) or the negative (I’m the WORST), we place too much importance on it. We may even get obsessive about the self, going over every little word, thought, or feeling that enters our mind.

A regular meditation practice can boost your self-esteem by helping you to let go of your preoccupation with your self, freeing you from being controlled by the thoughts and feelings your self-experiences.

When you have the ability to step back and observe a disturbing or self-deprecating thought, it suddenly doesn’t have as much power over you as it used to; this deidentification with the negative thoughts you have about yourself results in less negative talk over time and freedom from your overly critical inner voice (Puddicombe, 2015).

Self-esteem is the topic of many a psychological scale and assessment, and many of them are valid, reliable, and very popular among researchers; however, these assessments are not perfect. There are a few problems and considerations you should take into account if you want to measure self-esteem, including:

• Lack of consensus on the definition (Demo, 1985).
• Overall gender differences in self-esteem (Bingham, 1983).
• Too many instruments for assessing self-esteem, and low correlations between them (Demo, 1985).
• The unexplained variance between self-reports and inferred measures such as ratings by others (Demo, 1985).

Although these issues are certainly not unique to the measurement of self-esteem, one should approach the assessment of self-esteem with multiple measurement methods in hand, with the appropriate level of caution, or both.

Still, even though there are various issues with the measurement of self-esteem, avoiding the measurement is not an option! If you are looking to measure self-esteem and worried about finding a validated scale, look no further than one of the foundations of self-esteem research: Rosenberg’s scale.

Measuring Self-Esteem with the Rosenberg Scale

The most common scale of self-esteem is Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (also called the RSE and sometimes the SES). This scale was developed by Rosenberg and presented in his 1965 book Society and the Adolescent Self-Image.

It contains 10 items rated on a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 4 (strongly disagree). Some of the items are reverse-scored, and the total score can be calculated by summing up the total points for an overall measure of self-esteem (although it can also be scored in a different, more complex manner—see page 61 of this PDF for instructions).

The 10 items are:

1. On the whole, I am satisfied with myself. 2. At times I think I am no good at all. 3. I feel that I have a number of good qualities. 4. I am able to do things as well as most other people. 5. I feel I do not have much to be proud of. 6. I certainly feel useless at times. 7. I feel that I’m a person of worth. 8. I wish I could have more respect for myself. 9. All in all, I am inclined to think that I am a failure. 10. I take a positive attitude toward myself.

As you likely figured out already, items 2, 5, 6, 8, and 9 are reverse-scored, while the other items are scored normally. This creates a single score of between 10 and 40 points, with lower scores indicating higher self-esteem. Put another way, higher scores indicate a strong sense of low self-esteem.

The scale is considered highly consistent and reliable, and scores correlate highly with other measures of self-esteem and negatively with measures of depression and anxiety. It has been used by thousands of researchers throughout the years and is still in use today, making it one of the most-cited scales ever developed.

The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (1967/1981)

The second most commonly used reliable and valid measure for self-esteem is The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. Within this test, 50 items are included to measure the test-takes attitudes towards themselves, by responding to statements with the selection of “like me” or “not like me” (Robinson, Shaver & Wrightsman, 2010).

Initially created to test the self-esteem of children, it was later altered by Ryden (1978) and now two separate versions exist; one for children and one for adults.

Find out more about taking this test here .

It might be quicker to list what factors don’t influence self-esteem than to identify which factors do influence it! As you might expect, self-esteem is a complex construct and there are many factors that contribute to it, whether positively or negatively.

For a quick sample of some of the many factors that are known to influence self-esteem, check out this list:

• Commitment to the worker, spouse, and parental role are positively linked to self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 1994).
• Worker identity meaning is positively related to self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 2006).
• Being married and older is linked to lower self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 2006).
• Higher education and higher income are related to higher self-esteem (Reitzes & Mutran, 2006).
• Low socioeconomic status and low self-esteem are related (von Soest, Wagner, Hansen, & Gerstorf, 2018).
• Living alone (without a significant other) is linked to low self-esteem (van Soest et al., 2018).
• Unemployment and disability contribute to lower self-esteem (van Soest et al., 2018).
• A more mature personality and emotional stability are linked to higher self-esteem (van Soest et al., 2018).
• Social norms (the importance of friends’ and family members’ opinions) about one’s body and exercise habits are negatively linked to self-esteem, while exercise self-efficacy and self-fulfillment are positively linked to self-esteem (Chang & Suttikun, 2017).

If you’re thinking that an important technological factor is missing, go on to the next section and see if you’re right!

Although you may have found some of the findings on self-esteem covered earlier surprising, you will most likely expect this one: studies suggest that social media usage negatively impacts self-esteem (Friedlander, 2016).

This effect is easy to understand. Humans are social creatures and need interaction with others to stay healthy and happy; however, we also use those around us as comparisons to measure and track our own progress in work, relationships, and life in general. Social media makes these comparisons easier than ever, but they give this tendency to compare a dark twist.

What we see on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is not representative of real life. It is often carefully curated and painstakingly presented to give the best possible impression.

We rarely see the sadness, the failure, and the disappointment that accompanies everyday human life; instead, we see a perfect picture, a timeline full of only good news, and short blurbs about achievements, accomplishments, and happiness .

Although this social comparison with unattainable standards is clearly a bad habit to get into, social media is not necessarily a death knell for your self-esteem. Moderate social media usage complemented by frequent self-reminders that we are often only seeing the very best in others can allow us to use social media posts as inspiration and motivation rather than unhealthy comparison.

You don’t need to give up social media for good in order to maintain a healthy sense of self-esteem—just use it mindfully and keep it in the right perspective!

By viewing self-esteem as a muscle to grow we establish a world of new opportunities. No longer do we have to view ourselves in the same light.

Use these 10 tips to strengthen the attitudes towards yourself:

1. Spend time with people who lift you up 2. Giveback by helping others 3. Celebrate your achievements, no matter the size 4. Do what makes you happy 5. Change what you can – and let go of what you can’t 6. Let go of perfectionism ideals 7. Speak to yourself like a friend 8. Get involved in extra-curricula’s 9. Own your uniqueness 10. Create a positive self-dialogue.

Influential American author, Jack Canfield explains “Daily affirmations are to the mind what exercise is to the body.” (watch this YouTube clip).

Affirmations are a great way to boost your self-esteem and, in turn, your overall wellbeing. There are tons of examples of affirmations you can use for this purpose, including these 17 from Develop Good Habits :

• Mistakes are a stepping stone to success. They are the path I must tread to achieve my dreams.
• I will continue to learn and grow.
• Mistakes are just an apprenticeship to achievement.
• I deserve to be happy and successful.
• I deserve a good life. I deny any need for suffering and misery.
• I am competent, smart, and able.
• I am growing and changing for the better.
• I love the person I am becoming.
• I believe in my skills and abilities.
• I have great ideas. I make useful contributions.
• I acknowledge my own self-worth; my self-confidence is rising.
• I am worthy of all the good things that happen in my life.
• I am confident with my life plan and the way things are going.
• I deserve the love I am given.
• I let go of the negative feelings about myself and accept all that is good.
• I will stand by my decisions. They are sound and reasoned.
• I have, or can quickly get, all the knowledge I need to succeed.

If none of these leap out and inspire you, you can always create your own! Just keep in mind these three simple rules for creating effective affirmations:

• The affirmations should be in the present tense. They must affirm your value and worth right here, right now (e.g., not “I will do better tomorrow” but “I am doing great today.”).
• The affirmations should be positively worded. They should not deny or reject anything (i.e., “I am not a loser.”), but make a firm statement (e.g., “I am a worthy person.”).
• The affirmations should make you feel good and put you in a positive light. They should not be empty words and they should be relevant to your life (e.g., “I am a world-class skier” is relevant if you ski, but is not a good affirmation if you don’t ski.).

Use these three rules to put together some positive, uplifting, and encouraging affirmations that you can repeat as often as needed—but aim for at least once a day.

There are many, many books available on self-esteem: what it is, what influences it, how it can be developed, and how it can be encouraged in others (particularly children). Here is just a sample of some of the most popular and well-received books on self-esteem :

• Self-Esteem: A Proven Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and Maintaining Your Self-Esteem by Matthew McKay, PhD ( Amazon )
• The Self-Esteem Guided Journal by Matthew McKay & C. Sutker ( Amazon )
• Ten Days to Self-Esteem by David D. Burns, MD ( Amazon )
• The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem: The Definitive Work on Self-Esteem by the Leading Pioneer in the Field by Nathanial Branden (if you’re not a big reader, check out the animated book review video below) ( Amazon )
• The Self-Esteem Workbook by Glenn R. Schiraldi, PhD ( Amazon )
• The Self-Esteem Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Build Confidence and Achieve Your Goals by Lisa M. Schab, LCSW ( Amazon )
• Believing in Myself by E Larsen & C Hegarty. ( Amazon )
• Being Me: A Kid’s Guide to Boosting Confidence and Self-Esteem by Wendy L. Moss, PhD ( Amazon )
• Healing Your Emotional Self: A Powerful Program to Help You Raise Your Self-Esteem, Quiet Your Inner Critic, and Overcome Your Shame by Beverly Engel ( Amazon )

Plus, here’s a bonus—a free PDF version of Nathaniel Branden’s The Psychology of Self-Esteem: A Revolutionary Approach to Self-Understanding That Launched a New Era in Modern Psychology .

If reading is not a preferred method of learning more, fear not! There are some great YouTube videos and TED Talks on self-esteem. A few of the most popular and most impactful are included here.

Why Thinking You’re Ugly is Bad for You by Meaghan Ramsey

This TED talk is all about the importance of self-esteem and the impact of negative self-esteem, especially on young people and girls. Ramsey notes that low self-esteem impacts physical as well as mental health, the work we do, and our overall finances as we chase the perfect body, the perfect face, or the perfect hair. She ends by outlining the six areas addressed by effective self-esteem programs:

• The influence of family, friends, and relationships
• The media and celebrity culture
• How to handle teasing and bullying
• The way we compete and compare ourselves with others
• The way we talk about appearance
• The foundations of respecting and caring for yourself

Meet Yourself: A User’s Guide to Building Self-Esteem by Niko Everett

Another great TEDx Talk comes from the founder of the Girls for Change organization, Niko Everett. In this talk, she goes over the power of self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and self-love. She highlights the importance of the thoughts we have about ourselves and the impact they have on our self-esteem and shares some techniques to help both children and adults enhance their self-esteem.

Self-Esteem – Understanding & Fixing Low Self-Esteem by Actualized.org

This video from Leo Gura at Actualized.org defines self-esteem, describes the elements of self-esteem, and the factors that influence self-esteem. He shares why self-esteem is important and how it can be developed and enhanced.

How to Build Self Esteem – The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem by Nathaniel Branden Animated Book Review by FightMediocrity

This quick, 6-minute video on self-esteem outlines what author Nathaniel Branden sees as the “Six Pillars” of self-esteem:

• The practice of living consciously Be aware of your daily activities and relationship with others, insecure reflections, and also personal priorities.
• The practice of self-acceptance This includes becoming aware and accepting the best and the worst parts of you and also the disowned parts of ourselves.
• The practice of self-responsibility This implies realizing that you are responsible for your choices and actions.
• The practice of self-assertiveness Act through your real convictions and feelings as much as possible.
• The practice of living purposefully Achieve personal goals that energize your existence.
• The practice of personal integrity Don’t compensate your ideals, beliefs, and behaviors for a result that leads to incongruence. When your behaviors are congruent with your ideals, integrity will appear.

The speaker provides a definition and example of each of the six pillars and finishes the video by emphasizing the first two words of each pillar: “The Practice.” These words highlight that the effort applied to building self-esteem is, in fact, the most important factor in developing self-esteem.

Sometimes all you need to get to work on bettering yourself is an inspirational quote. The value of quotes is subjective, so these may not all resonate with you, but hopefully, you will find that at least one or two lights that spark within you!

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

Sharon Salzberg

“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.”

Michel de Montaigne

“The man who does not value himself, cannot value anything or anyone.”

“Dare to love yourself as if you were a rainbow with gold at both ends.”

“As long as you look for someone else to validate who you are by seeking their approval, you are setting yourself up for disaster. You have to be whole and complete in yourself. No one can give you that. You have to know who you are—what others say is irrelevant.”

“I don’t want everyone to like me; I should think less of myself if some people did.”

Henry James

“Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”

Louise L. Hay

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”

Marianne Williamson

“I don’t entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I’m me. God knows, I’m me.”

“To me, self-esteem is not self-love. It is self-acknowledgement, as in recognizing and accepting who you are.”

Amity Gaige

“Self-esteem is as important to our well-being as legs are to a table. It is essential for physical and mental health and for happiness.”

Louise Hart

“Self-esteem is made up primarily of two things: feeling lovable and feeling capable. Lovable means I feel people want to be with me. They invite me to parties; they affirm I have the qualities necessary to be included. Feeling capable is knowing that I can produce a result. It’s knowing I can handle anything that life hands me.”

Jack Canfield

“You can’t let someone else lower your self-esteem, because that’s what it is—self-esteem. You need to first love yourself before you have anybody else love you.”

Winnie Harlow

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”

“Our self-respect tracks our choices. Every time we act in harmony with our authentic self and our heart, we earn our respect. It is that simple. Every choice matters.” Dan Coppersmith

17 Exercises To Foster Self-Acceptance and Compassion

Help your clients develop a kinder, more accepting relationship with themselves using these 17 Self-Compassion Exercises [PDF] that promote self-care and self-compassion.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

We hope you enjoyed this opportunity to learn about self-esteem! If you take only one important lesson away from this piece, make sure it’s this one: you absolutely can build your own self-esteem, and you can have a big impact on the self-esteem of those you love.

Self-esteem is not a panacea—it will not fix all of your problems or help you sail smoothly through a life free of struggle and suffering—but it will help you find the courage to try new things, build the resilience to bounce back from failure, and make you more susceptible to success.

It is something we have to continually work towards, but it’s absolutely achievable.

Stay committed.

Keep aware of your internal thoughts and external surroundings. Keep focused on your personal goals and all that is possible when self-doubt isn’t holding you back.

What are your thoughts on self-esteem in psychology? Should we be encouraging it more? Less? Is there an “ideal amount” of self-esteem? We’d love to hear from you! Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

You can read more about self-esteem worksheets and exercises for adults and teens here .

Thanks for reading!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Self Compassion Exercises for free .

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Interesting, and clear and quite precise in this definitions…..definitions are the most important.

Extremely good article addressing the prevalence of low self-esteem in Western society and how to overcome it. But did it consider the possibility self-esteem could ever be too high? I am still influenced by my old-school upbringing, where being labeled as “conceited” was a a thing. I was told that’s only an attempt to compensate for low self esteem, along with “egomania” and other disorders, but perhaps related to the driven personalities that have influenced much of history.

Excellent, Elaborative, Enduring and Eloquent ESSAY 🙂 Loved this article, very clear, very informative, very useful and practically implementable if determined to improve the quality of one’s life. THANK YOU is a small word for the author of this article.

thak you for this good article

Very helpful. Thank you very much

Thanks for sharing it. I’m happy after reading it , please keep continue to enlighten people

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