Suffering from low self-esteem can be an incredibly isolating experience. When you don’t feel like you are at your best, we can find ourselves stuck in a self-perpetuating cycle in which we start to talk ourselves down and start putting less effort into the things that make us look and feel our best. And, of course, the more we do that, the less self-esteem we feel.
In times like these, when it’s particularly easy to feel isolated and a lot of the things that we’d usually do to boost our self-esteem aren’t necessarily available to us (hands up who misses putting the world to rights over a few drinks with their friends?), it’s more important than ever to make sure that you’re taking good care of yourself and to avoid ending up in a bad place with our self-esteem. Here are a few tips to give yourself, and your self-esteem a bit of a boost.
Stop Beating Yourself Up About It
A lot of guides to boosting your self-esteem will be all about the things that you’re doing wrong. They’ll tell you that you aren’t doing enough, that you won’t have good self-esteem until you’re rocking six-pack abs and making your own sushi at a Tokyo restaurant level. There are a lot of proactive steps that you can take towards boosting your self-esteem and we’re going to get into a few of them, but the first and arguably most important is to be kind to yourself. If you want to start boosting your self-esteem, how about giving yourself a pat on the back for recognising something that is making you unhappy that you’d like to change?
Talk To Your Friends About It
Now, it’s not always the case, but low self-esteem can often be a symptom of something larger at play. If you’re really struggling with your self-esteem, it may be worth having an honest chat with yourself about your mood and outlook as a whole. If you’re feeling low, it’s always important to reach out and talk to someone. This may not be an issue for a therapist, but we all know that men have a particularly hard time opening up about their mental health and the statistics are pretty staggering. So, if this is an issue that’s really bothering you, pick a friend or a family member that you’re comfortable being emotionally honest with and tell them how you’re doing.
Start Getting Into A Routine
It would be nice if fixing a self-esteem issue was as simple as repeating a mantra into a mirror, but in all honesty, a routine really helps to improve your mood and to give you some achievable daily targets.
You can start by keeping it simple with things like getting out of bed at the same time every day or stepping outside for some fresh air before you start your work in the morning. You could introduce a bit of exercise at the same time every day, whether it’s going for a jog or doing a quick home work-out on your lunch break. And, because we may start to let some of our hygiene habits slip a little when we suffer from low self-esteem, little things like making sure you shower every morning and brush your teeth twice a day will start to add up.
What Would You Like To Change?
Low self-esteem is often linked to something we don’t like about ourselves. For some people, it’s feeling like they’re overweight and wishing they could be fitter. For others, it’s hating their teeth to the point that they won’t smile in pictures. For men, hair is a big issue. Male pattern baldness is a very common issue for men of all ages, and by the age of 35 around 66% of men will have experienced some kind of hair loss.
What’s important to remember is that there are always options, there are always positive steps you can take. A regular exercise routine will help bring your weight down, a dentist can give you advice about which treatments can help straighten that smile, and there is medication that can help slow the natural balding process. Finasteride is one of the most popular examples, with a trial showing that 83% of users stopped losing hair, and 66% of users experienced some hair regrowth. Whilst these hair loss tablets begin to work immediately, it may take between three to four months for results to show. These tablets retain a high success rate for as long as you continue to take them. You can read more about what Finasteride does and whether it’s right for you on the Chemist Click site.
Don’t Stay Inside
It’s so tempting to pull the curtains and close the doors when we’re suffering from low self-esteem, but the fact of the matter is that it’s going to take a little bit of self-confidence to get the journey towards feeling better about yourself going. While there’s no shame in taking the occasional day or night off, don’t let it become a pattern. Own the positive changes that you are making and remember that how you perceive yourself is far more important than how anyone else does. Get out there, see the sunshine, and enjoy some good times with the people who mean a lot to you. The rest will follow.
