Improving Self Esteem

In general terms, self esteem is a sense of a person’s value to oneself. It’s how we feel about ourselves. People with high self-esteem have an accurate sense of self-worth and have a better understanding about their strengths and weaknesses and. They are more confident in themselves and their actions than people with low self-esteem who believe they are not lovable, worthy or incompetent. People with low self-esteem have a lower quality of life as a result of anxiety, depression or other related state of mind. They are most likely to abuse drugs or alcohol to help improve their self-esteem which could further lower their self-esteem as a result of loss of control.

There are a couple of ways a recovering addict could improve his self-esteem as below:

By starting to make changes

Start by thinking of areas in your life that require changing and set out to make those changes. Break larger goals into a couple of smaller goals to avoid being overwhelmed. Consider reasonable timelines to achieve these go and follow through each one of these goals to build self-determination.

Forgive yourself

It is not un-common for those in recovery to be overcome with self-blame which has a direct effect on their self-esteem and self-worth. Addiction can lead to poor judgement and complete lack of impulse control that can lead to a lot of regret later leading up to a relapse. In recovery it is essential to acknowledge these mistakes and forgiving yourself and committing to doing things differently in the future.

Writing Affirmations

Simply put, an affirmation is a simple, positive statement that you can recite to yourself to help you feel better. Write one that reflects how you want to feel about yourself, such as “I am a good person and I can overcome my problems”.

Be Nice

Caring for and appreciating the people around you can significantly change the way people interact with you. Things like holding the door for another person, giving your seat to someone else in public place or helping someone out can result in a kind response from them.

Accept Compliments

People with low self-esteem can often miss acknowledging compliments from others there-by missing out on an essential opportunity to build their self-worth. But anybody and everybody is deserving of a compliment for a job well-done.