4.3

Study Notes

Self-esteem refers to how you feel about yourself, while self-image is your mental picture of yourself, including your appearance, skills, abilities, and weaknesses.
Self-esteem is influenced by many factors, including self-image, experiences, and interactions with others.

Self-esteem has a major impact on many aspects of your life, including academic performance, relationships, and how you manage disappointments and frustrations.
Having healthy self-esteem drives you to care for yourself and take steps to reach your full potential.

People with healthy self-esteem have realistic views of themselves and feel good about themselves, including their skills and abilities.
They know they have worth, feel good about their relationships, and feel loved, appreciated, and accepted by others.
Characteristics of people with healthy self-esteem include:
- Liking themselves
- Feeling worthy of love and respect
- Being proud of accomplishments and weaknesses
- Not worrying about others' opinions
- Viewing negative events as experiences, not failures
- Being willing to ask for help
- Making decisions based on their own values
- Embracing challenges
- Accepting responsibility for actions
- Managing frustration and using problem-solving strategies

People with low self-esteem doubt their worth, may feel negatively about their traits, skills, and abilities, and wish they could change themselves.
They may feel left out of social groups, disconnected from others, and question whether others like or respect them.
Characteristics of people with low self-esteem include:
- Disliking themselves
- Feeling insecure and unworthy of love and respect
- Criticizing their abilities and skills
- Being extremely sensitive to criticism
- Acting to show others they are worthy of love
- Viewing negative events as failures
- Being afraid to ask for help
- Making decisions to avoid rejection
- Avoiding new activities due to fear of failure
- Blaming others for mistakes and problems
- Regretting the past and worrying about the future

Interactions with others, especially during early childhood, can significantly impact self-esteem.
A supportive environment can boost self-esteem, while a negative environment can tear it down.
Personal perceptions greatly affect how people feel about themselves, and social media can negatively impact self-esteem.

Strategies focus on modifying factors that affect self-esteem.
Improve self-esteem by changing your perceptions and bettering your environment.
Focus on your strengths, celebrate your successes, and practice daily affirmations.
Taking care of yourself physically also contributes to healthy self-esteem.