If life seems boring and depressing, perhaps a big dose of daily self-esteem help is just the spark you need for a happier life. The self-esteem activities suggested here take just a few minutes each day and research studies indicate high self-esteem is beneficial to your health.
Researcher David Schmitt, PhD, associate professor of Bradley University’s Psychology Department, reports that high self-esteem correlates with relationships. When we have strong relationships we feel better about ourselves than when our relationships are troublesome. Strong relationships, strong self-esteem.
Self-esteem also correlates with happiness and life satisfaction according to psychological researcher Christopher Peterson, author of A Primer in Positive Psychology. The higher your self-esteem, the greater your reported happiness and satisfaction with life. The converse is also true, lower self esteem correlates with low life satisfaction and happiness. It demands us to be aware of our own feeling of self-esteem, taking steps to improve it when we’re feeling down.
Reinforce your close relationships with high quality contact each day. This is very significant. Give something of yourself to people you care about. A few sincere words of appreciation, a few minutes of compassionate listening, or an earnest offer of help to an elderly or shut-in friend or relative will pay big dividends to both parties.
Give yourself a break. We’re often much harder on ourselves than we are on others. Don’t expect perfection of yourself. Be forgiving of your human errors and treat them with humor rather than disdain or anger. Refrain from negative self talk. Instead, remind yourself that you normally make very few mistakes.
Savor your good memories. Keep a mental or literal file of good memories and visit them often. Naturally nostalgic(怀旧的) people have high self-esteem and are less prone to depression. Thinking of good memories for just 20 minutes a day can make people more cheerful than they were the week before, and happier than if they think of their current lives.
Snap back from negative s. Bad things will happen; that’s part of life. An attitude of resilience and positive thinking can help you snap back from negative thinking just as quickly as you can. Positive thinking yields positive life s, and vice-versa.
In just a few minutes each day you can build your self-esteem and reap the rewards of greater happiness and life satisfaction. Be your own best friend not your worst enemy. Christopher Peterson’s study requires us to raise the awareness of ______.