Have you noticed that you are the person you talk to the most in your entire life? It's true, no one gets more talk, theories and messages from you than yourself! For this reason, it is important that the way you talk to yourself and the type of talk you use with yourself is positive and healthy.

A healthy relationship with yourself allows you to feel more confident, accepted and at peace. If you've ever felt like you don't know yourself or have judged yourself harshly and been overly critical of yourself, then it's time to improve your relationship with yourself.

Self-esteem is a key element to have a healthy relationship with yourself. It is important to recognize our own worth and love ourselves, without depending on the approval of others.

Self-esteem helps us set healthy boundaries, make informed decisions, and trust ourselves. Self-compassion is also essential to having a good relationship with yourself.

It consists of being kind, compassionate and accepting our imperfections without judging ourselves. Self-compassion helps us develop emotional resilience and cope with challenges more easily.

How should we talk to ourselves?

The way we talk to ourselves has a huge impact on our happiness and emotional well-being. If you speak to yourself with negativity, insecurity, and self-deprecation, you are likely to feel unhappy and stressed most of the time.

Conversely, if you talk to yourself with kindness, compassion, and acceptance, you are likely to feel happier, more confident, and at peace with yourself. That is why it is important to know how we should talk to ourselves to positively improve our confidence.

Here are some examples of how you should talk to yourself to build a healthy relationship with yourself:

1. Instead of saying "I'm not enough," change it to "I'm enough and I'm destined for great things." Remember that you are capable and have the potential to achieve great things.
2. Instead of telling yourself "I always make mistakes," change it to "I see every mistake as an opportunity to learn and get one step closer to my true potential." Remember that we all make mistakes and that the important thing is to learn from them and grow.
3. Instead of saying "I don't have time to take care of myself", change it to "my body and my mind are a temple where all things are created". Remember that taking care of yourself is essential for your well-being and happiness.
4. Instead of telling yourself "my life has no purpose," change it to "I am in the process of discovering my purpose and am open to new experiences and opportunities." Remember that there is always something new to discover and that your purpose can change over time.

Practical tips to improve our relationship with ourselves

Know yourself

To have a healthy relationship with yourself, it's important to take the time to learn about your strengths and weaknesses, your interests and hobbies, your values and beliefs. Self-exploration can help you discover who you are and what matters to you.

You can list your positive and negative characteristics, ask yourself about your dreams and goals, or simply spend time reflecting on your thoughts and feelings. When you have a clear understanding of who you are, it's easier to make decisions that benefit you in the long run.

Accept your imperfections

Nobody is perfect, and that includes you. Instead of harshly judging yourself for your flaws, it's important to accept them and work on them. Accepting your imperfections as part of what makes you unique and valuable can help you feel more confident and maintain a positive attitude toward yourself. When you accept your imperfections, it is also easier to accept the imperfections of others.

Take care of your physical and emotional health

Take care of your physical and emo health tional is key to having a healthy relationship with yourself. This can include exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, and managing stress effectively. It's also important to take care of your mental health, which can include therapy, meditation, or any other technique that helps you relax and feel calmer.

Set healthy boundaries

It is important to set healthy boundaries in your relationships with others. Learning to say "no" when necessary and setting clear boundaries can help you avoid falling into the self-sabotage trap and maintain healthy relationships with others. For example, you can set limits in your romantic relationships, in your friendships, in your family or even in your work.

Practice self-compassion

Self-compassion is the ability to treat yourself with kindness, patience, and understanding instead of harshly judging yourself. Practicing self-compassion can help you be kinder to yourself and forgive yourself when you make mistakes. Excessive self-criticism can damage your self-esteem and negatively affect your relationship with yourself. Instead, when you practice self-compassion, you allow yourself to be human and give yourself permission to make mistakes.

Do things that make you happy

Spending time doing things that make you happy is key to having a healthy relationship with yourself. This can include hobbies, sports, art, music, travel, or any other activity that makes you feel good about yourself. By doing things that make you happy, you are showing yourself that you deserve to be happy and that you matter.

Practice gratitude

Gratitude is the practice of focusing on what you have instead of what you lack. Practicing gratitude can help you see things more positively and feel more satisfied with your life. You can start a gratitude journal where you write down each day the things you are grateful for, or simply take a few minutes each day to reflect on the positive things in your life.

Learn to forgive yourself

Forgiveness isn't always easy, but learning to forgive yourself for mistakes and wrong decisions is important to having a healthy relationship with yourself. Instead of blaming and punishing yourself for past mistakes, learn from them and move on. Remember that we all make mistakes and that forgiveness is an important part of emotional growth and healing.

Self-esteem is a fundamental aspect of our emotional and mental life, since it affects the way we think, feel and act. Having good self-esteem allows us to face life's challenges with confidence and security, while low self-esteem can affect our mental and emotional health, as well as our interpersonal relationships.

Today we are going to talk to you about the different ways in which we can improve our self-esteem, identifying the reasons that can cause low self-esteem, the negative effects it can have on our lives and practical advice to increase your self-esteem.

What is self esteem?

Self-esteem is the assessment we make of ourselves and our abilities. We want to emphasize that self-esteem is not an innate characteristic, but rather it is formed throughout our lives through our experiences and relationships with others.

Having good self-esteem implies recognizing our strengths and weaknesses, accepting our mistakes and learning from them, and having confidence in our abilities.

Reasons that can cause low self-esteem

There are many reasons why a person may experience low self-esteem. Some of the most common include:

Rejection experiences

Whether from friends, family, co-workers, or romantic relationships, rejection can have a profound and negative impact on our self-esteem. Feeling unloved or unworthy to others can lead to feeling that we are not good enough or worthy of love and respect.

constant comparisons

With social media and the culture of constant comparison, it's easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others and feeling like we don't measure up. If we constantly compare ourselves to other people, we lose sight of our own strengths and focus on our weaknesses.

constant criticism

Constant negative criticism can erode our self-esteem and make us feel inadequate or inadequate. If someone constantly criticizes us, it's easy to end up believing those criticisms and feeling like we're not good enough.

traumatic experiences

Traumatic experiences, such as physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, can have a lasting impact on our self-esteem. Feeling that we have been treated unfairly or cruelly can make us feel helpless and worthless.

cultural stereotypes

The culture in which we live can also affect our self-esteem. If we grow up in a culture that values physical appearance above all other qualities, it's easy for us to come to feel that our worth as individuals is determined by our physical appearance.

What effects does low self-esteem have on our lives?

Having low self-esteem can have negative effects in many areas of our lives. Some of the more common effects include:

Emotional problems

Low self-esteem can lead to feelings of sadness or depression, anxiety, and stress. It can also make it difficult for us to regulate our emotions and handle stressful situations.

relationship problems

People with low self-esteem may have difficulty establishing healthy and satisfying relationships with others. They may feel insecure or unworthy of love and respect, which can lead to emotional dependency, relationship avoidance, or choosing toxic relationships.

Poor academic or job performance

Low self-esteem can also affect our performance in school or at work. People with low self-esteem may feel they are not good enough for certain jobs or projects, which can lead to procrastination or avoidance of important tasks.

Health problems

Low self-esteem can also have a negative impact on our physical health. It can lead to increased stress, anxiety and depression, which can affect our immune system and increase the risk of stress-related illnesses.

What can we do to improve our self-esteem?

Fortunately, self-esteem is not something fixed and immutable. There are many things you can do to improve your self-esteem and feel better about yourself. Some strategies you can try include:

Identify your strengths and abilities

Take time to reflect on your abilities and strengths. Make a list of the things you are good at and the things you like about yourself. Fostering a positive approach towards your positive abilities and characteristics can help boost your self-esteem.

practice self care

Self-care can be an effective way to improve your self-esteem. This includes exercising regularly, eating well, getting enough sleep, and making time for activities you enjoy.

Challenge your negative thoughts

Often people with low self-esteem have a critical inner voice that tells them negative things about themselves. Learning to identify and challenge these negative thoughts can help change the way you think about yourself.

seek support

Find friends, family, or a therapist you can trust to support and encourage you. Talking to someone about your feelings can help you feel less alone and more capable of coping with challenges.

learn something new

Learning something new can be an effective way to boost your self-esteem. This can be something as simple as cooking a new recipe or as complex as taking a college class. Feeling like you are learning and growing as a person can help you feel more secure and valuable.

Self-esteem is a fundamental part of our mental and emotional health. Having good self-esteem can improve our lives in many ways, from our relationships with others to our performance at work or at school.

Identifying the reasons why we may experience low self-esteem and taking steps to improve it can help us feel more confident, competent, and worthwhile.