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Self Esteem Community› Self Esteem Articles› A-Z Improve Self Esteem

A-Z Improve Self Esteem

Written by Clarita

11 October 2010

A-Z Improve Self Esteem- by Clarita

Part 1(A-H)

A= Affirmations( Positive Affirmations). Use positive affirmations daily to remind yourself that you are a good person who deserves to be treated with respect by others as well as by self. Keep positive words or quotes with inspirational pictures around you to inspire you. Carry positive words around with you, too- keep them in your purse or wallet or pocket or on your PDA- when you need motivating or encouraging. http://ww.affirmations.com

B= Breathe. Take deep relaxed breaths when you need to chill out or keep calm. Meditate. Whist taking deep breaths use positive affirmations. Guided visualisation or relaxation classes or even seeing a holistic therapist may also help. You may benefit from learning to sing- will learn how to breathe properly plus learn a new skill. Pilates or Yoga couls also help you.

"Smile, breathe and go slowly."- Thich Nhat Hanh

C= Can. Say to yourself that You Can....! Banish the word cannot from your vocabulary/lexicon to replace with the empowering word Can. Focus on all that you can do, too!!

Commit yourself with a dynamic attitude.

Aspire to greatness or altruism.

Navigate- you are the pilot. Never underestimate yourself or your abilities in reaching your goal.

D= Diversify- develop new hobbies/interests plus put in as much variety into your life as possible. Learning a new skill will be much fun as well as open up your social circle. Try to make every day as varied as possible. Take yourself out of a 'time loop familiarity' Groundhog Day. Tedious sameness makes you stale- so try to mix it up to keep life fresh/exciting/dynamic

E=Expectations- keep them realistic/grounded/balanced. Do not expect life to treat you fair as life is not a fairy tale or is supposed to be fair either, yet, life is precious/beautiful/wondrous all the same. Bad things happen to good people, however, your altitude is determined by your attitude. Positive philosophy will help. Expect storms yet hold on tightly knowing that a rainbow is soon to appear. Dream big, too!!

G= Gratitude. Count your blessings daily. Maybe a good idea would be to keep a Gratitude Journal( try to list as least 5 reasons to be grateful each day, even 1 reason for being thankful is a start). Express appreciation to others, too. Check out this fabulous article by Karen Krakower Chaplin, too:-

http://ww.uthealthleader.org/archive/mind_body_doul/2003/7ways-1124.html

H= Humour. Laughter is fantastic medicine- great coping mechanism, shock absorber, plus an awesome way to gain greater perspective/clarity on a situation. A person with a good sense of humour is great to be around, to; makes them more attractive as a friend or soul mate or both. With comedy, there is also release from pains or hurts( physical or emotional) as laughter is healing. Essential to be able to laugh at yourself as well as your challenges, in a constructive manner, too. " The angels can fly as they take themselves lightly."- G.K.Chesterton

http://selfesteemawareness.com/self-esteem-humor.htm

Part 2 (I-P

I= Intuition- Listening to your heart or inner voice- letting that guide you. If you hear an alarm bell ring – the inner voice that alerts you to danger - then stop immediately- do not carry on regardless. Listen to the intuition of trusted wise individuals/ those who care for you, let their instincts keep you on the right path, too! If more than one person says exactly the same message to you then let that be like a NEON sign to you. When you practice listening plus following your intuition then it grows like a muscle, also.J=Journey- We are all on the same journey to the same destination even though we are all at different stages along the track. Stop comparing your fine self to others as we are all wonderfully unique as well as special in our own right. Stick with others who believe in you and will enable you to develop to your full potential. Take baby steps at first- as long as you are moving forward is all that matters as you can always pick up the pace when you are ready. On the journey you can expect help yet do not expect to be carried. Whilst on the journey, enjoy the scenery as well!K= Kindness- When you practice kindness to others in need you grow as a person as well as help out someone else at the same time- it is a win win situation. If someone is kind to you then pass that kindness forward, too. Kindness acts like ripples- you never know how much goodness you can create just from one good deed. Be kind in words as well as deeds.L= Let go/ Life laundry- Drop all people from your life who are toxic/negativity vampires/over critical/pessimistic /unbalanced or unpredictable- take out of your life anyone who makes you feel sad, low, angry, constantly frustrated or sucks the joy out of you. Some people are just one way street too- you give all the time yet they only want to take- let them go also. Let go of all the negative individuals in your life who just drag you down. However, keep close to you all the people who lift your spirits as well as genuinely care for you.M=Mercy- Show compassion to others and be quick to forgive/make amends especially with those who are truly sorry for what they said or did to you. Show mercy to your good self too. We all make mistakes/slip up, yet, as long as you are quick to eat humble pie as well as make things right then do not be too hard on yourself. When you slip up- just start over again afresh. “Rub it out and draw a flower.” ( saying of Clarita’s hubby).N= Nourish- Nutrients- eat a balanced healthy diet. Opportunity-create opportunities for goodness- follow the path when a possibility for happiness occurs. Unique- celebrate your uniqueness. Risks- dare to be brave- try out something that stretches you. Independence- Learn to be happy in your own company. Make decisions for self. Try not to rely on others too much. Trust yourself, too. Seek- seek out what makes you shine. Seek out truth. Seek an authentic life. Honour- honour yourself and others in all you do and say.O= Open- open mind and open heart( open to love, open to listen to other people's viewpoints and open to explore new ways of being or take on a new dynamic mindset. P= Patience- Be patient with your progress/journey with your self esteem/positive thinking journey. Try to be patient with loved ones/significant others who may not understand you or fully appreciate you just yet, however, may just need some time to come around to supporting you with your various needs. Nothing worthwhile happens quickly either. Be gentle with yourself and with others. You never know what tough battle anyone is facing so be kind. Practice patience as the more you practice it the more patient you will become. “If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.”- Buddhist proverb

Part 3(q-z)

Q=Quick- quick to let go of anger or a negative encounter or even a nightmare- stop repeat playing negative emotions or incidences or conversations that vexed you- stop the reruns several times over in your mind. If you hold on to negative emotions or thoughts it will act like a toxin to you. Do not let anyone or anything become toxic to your life. Be quick to erase negativity from your mind. If you are stuck in a time loop of negativity then you cannot fully enjoy the present moment – be quick to escape.

R= Reassurance – Lean on others. Vent emotions to loved ones and to medical professionals and to people here on MDJ. Show empathy to others. Express empathy to loved ones. Reach out for a helping hand. Reach out with your hand to help others in need, too.

S=Shape- be comfortable/learn to be comfortable in the skin you are in. We are all different shapes- pear, apple, rhubarb or hourglass, yet, all shapes are equally beautiful as each other. Again, refrain from comparing yourself to others. Make the most of your shape. Celebrate your shape. Variety is the spice of life! True beauty comes from within anyhow.

T= Trust- Therapies- professional or friends and traditional or holistic. Respect yourself and others, at all times. Utilise your time wisely. Stop pushing others away- tear down barriers. Tenderness- be tender with self as well as others.

U= Understanding- Understand who you are, who you can become and find your purpose. Understand not just the words spoken yet the emotions behind them. Do not be quick to jump to conclusions- then you can avoid misunderstandings. Be understanding of others- you never know what health challenges or life challenges or both that they may face or how much you may have in common with them. Try to see from other people’s perspective. Treat people how you would like to be treated, too.

V= Values- Core values give you stability, peace, inner calm as well as vision.

W=Wisdom – Learn from those wiser than yourself. Immerse yourself in world wisdoms and Native wisdoms. Wade in the depths instead of in the shallows- take time to read/research wise words. Listen to wisdom from the lips of all ages, too!!

X= Xanadu (imaginary wonderful place). Use your imagination to set you free. Visualisation techniques can help you to relax, help you with your health as well as to find wisdoms. Psychosynthesis may help you to heal from emotional traumas or help you to achieve your goals, too.

Y= Yearn- Yearn to be a better person- to be the very best you can be with all the talents you possess. Life may not go in the direction you want, anticipate or choose, yet, you still can have a fulfilled life as well as a happy one.

Z= Zest- Develop a zest for life- life is not a dress rehearsal. “Great is the man who has not lost his childhood heart.”- Mencius.” If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind.”
-Norman Vincent Peale

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