SELF ESTEEM AS A PART OF MENTAL HEALTH

Article by Grace Muwema

Talked about from every level in every setting,, self esteem has been a major part of the self concept. In schools, the office, workplaces and public or private setup’s, it is required of people. What is this self esteem? Self esteem is confidence in one's own worth. It is a characteristic of mental health. High self esteem is a characteristic of a positive mental health. We often talk of self esteem and other mental health characteristics without realizing that they are actually embedded in mental health. Self esteem is very essential in anyone and everyone's life. Your confidence, self perception, ability to embrace your individuality and those of others are all engulfed in self esteem. To perceive yourself as worthy, as fit and as beautiful isn't always an easy thing to do. In fact before one has a good self esteem, they in most cases would have to battle down negative thoughts and feelings.

Self esteem is what makes a person feel good in their own skin. Let's look at other characteristics of mental health; resilience- the process of being able to adapt well and bounce back quickly in times of stress; optimism- a feeling that all is going to turn out well; emotional stability-a person’s ability to remain stable and balanced; self esteem- that is confidence in one owns worth. These are all very important but there is something about these characteristics that starts with us and is very internal. That is self esteem. This has to do with perception of ourselves, how we would embrace ourselves and our identities. In any manual to thrive, realization of self and embracing self is key to growth. Now confidence in self is an even bigger thing. It means you’ve climbed the ladder of self acceptance, you have had to deal with many feelings and voices that tried to demean you and eventually after that long journey you saw your worth and you now believe that you are good enough. It can actually take years for many to reach a good state of self esteem. Of course self-esteem goes all the way to influence our characters.

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Let us now look at low self esteem. This is defined as lacking confidence in who one is and what they do. Low self esteem often makes people withdrawn, sensitive to criticism or get them too occupied with personal problems etcetera. If you don’t have confidence in yourself you can't really expect that the best will happen. This is simply saying if your self esteem is low it will affect your level of optimism. Self esteem when low is capable of affecting other areas of your mental health and can affect your response to situations. If one does not esteem himself highly he cannot expect others to put him on a pedestal and trust that he will do well. Self esteem starts with self, you have to find your ownworth. When you finally stand up to say no to lack of self esteem, you stand up to say you want your mental health to be in good shape. Self esteem is like the basis of the part that deals with self when it comes to mental health. High self-esteem on the other hand should not be taken for pride, it should simply mean that one believes in himself, is confident, trust their ability to succeed and has high amount of self respect.

High self esteem could usually show as being bold, courageous and willing to try and also not getting beaten down by failure. Do you struggle with your self esteem? Is this part of your mental health built? Do you want to change that? There are many tips on how to build self esteem and you should try them. It always starts with accepting your state and willing to change. Believe in yourself that you can do it and show consistency in your effort to change. Make sure that you and your mental health are in check. You are not little, limited, dull or incapable. Know within you that you were created for a greater purpose so build your self esteem, keep your mental health in check !