Self-esteem is the way you feel about yourself. When people have healthy self-esteem, they tend to feel positive about themselves and about life in general. Self-esteem and confidence often go together as they give the belief that we can cope and makes us better able to deal with life's ups and downs. It helps us feel confident learning new skills and trying new experiences. If we make mistakes we have the confidence to reflect and try again.
When self-esteem is low, we tend to see themselves and our life in a more negative and critical light. We also feel less able to take on challenges that life throws at us. This can harm mental health and lead to problems later on such as depression and anxiety.
Self–esteem and confidence building starts at birth and continues for your whole life. We can also help build up our friends confidence and self esteem by noticing what we like about them and telling them!
Life changes and challenges can cause everyone to have wobbles and times where they doubt themselves. Look at the top tips below to help build self confidence and self esteem skills
Try these sites for some different ways to boost your self-esteem:
Mental Health Foundation: wellbeing and positive thinking podcast
Young Minds: top tips on how to boost self-esteem