Overcome Low Self Esteem

How do you feel inside every time you step out of the house? if its a bright, cheery day you see outside your door, then go on and enjoy that sunshine. But if you are already complaining about the weather, then you know you need to maybe take a small peek into yourself. What does the weather have to do with self esteem? well, nothing! But the way you 'feel' about the things around you, and that includes the weather would say a lot about how you feel about yourself. They say the material world is a mere reflection of how you feel inside. So if you can try and change the picture inside, it will reflect on the outside too, quite naturally. Here are 5 simple tips to shed some light and brighten up your precious self:

Steps

 * 1) Catching the negative critic in you: People are often harsh on themselves. And that is not really necessary most of the time. Every time some event on the outside happens, and you begin to think about yourself as a loser, stop that thought right there and catch it. Yes, catch that merciless critic inside you and stop him right there. Failures will cease to make you feel bad about yourself when you realise that they are only opportunities and not mighty hardships that God is trying to throw on you.
 * 2) Kick the harsh critic out and bring in a new one: After becoming an expert in catching the critic (and you will become one if you try for a few days), throw him out of your system and bring in a new, more sensible guy. Even if you dont understand how to do this, its still fine. Just understand that the word 'critic' only connotes your own mind that is used to thinking and feeling bad all the time. To bring in the new guy means to simply start thinking good thoughts about yourself. Say for eg, if after a failure at a competition, or even a business deal, you begin to think of yourself as a loser, just stop right there on your tracks, catch that thought, refuse to believe in it and replace it with an effective positive thought.
 * 3) Stop comparing: Though its been said a million times already, it still holds true that every single individual on this planet is unique. What matters is not whether you are as good as the rest of the world, but whether you are good at being you. People have different lives. And they all have their successes and failures. Understand that we are all in this together.
 * 4) Respect yourself a lot. Love yourself more: Because if you dont respect yourself, then how can you expect others to respect you? Accept yourself, however you are at this moment. And that means physically and mentally. Physically, some of us are more endowed with good looks than others. And some of us have sharper minds than the rest of their peers. And its perfectly fine. Whoever you are and however you are, there will always be something in you that nobody, absolutely nobody else will have. All you have to do is to find that out and proceed to work on improving it.
 * 5) No one but you can make you feel bad: If somebody were to throw garbage on you, would you just stand there and let it fall on your head and mess your hair or would you simply move aside and let it pass? The choice is in your hands. You cannot stop people from telling you all the things they do, but you can choose to not accept it all and feel bad. Be choosy and picky when it comes to advice, including this one. Ask yourself if it makes sense and is helping you and then take it. If its not helping you, then discard it. Be with genuine, positive people who will help you feel good about yourself as a person in this world. And step outside that door and bring in the sunshine. You'll do just fine!

Tips

 * Do one good thing to someone or something, everyday without expecting anything in return. It could be anything, from feeding a stray dog to helping a lost stranger with directions. The feeling of having been helpful for another being can be uplifting.
 * Walk closer to nature. The rich diversity in the natural world often helps us understand much more than we can ever expect to understand from any great books.
 * Smile a lot. Laugh more. Find reasons to smile more often. And laugh as much as you can.
 * Wake up everyday with a beautiful thought. Never mind if you are groggy and dont mean it... Get out of the bed holding a pleasant thought.