(Originally published on Hello Perfect)
I was the girl in school who was picked last for any game involving a ball. While I was never yelled at for not getting an A on my report card, my family expected excellence. They often recounted their own childhoods, what they were doing when they were my age.
Those stories only served to make me feel like I was an ant being ground to a pulp under the heel of their favorite pairs of shoes.
I used that feeling of inadequacy to push me. I kept telling myself to look at people around me, to try to better them. In a structured, academic environment, it served me well.
Without the structure, I flailed. I had to build my self-esteem in a way that didn’t rely so much on external factors.
Intimidating?
Yes.
Impossible?
No.
How did I do it?
Cut Out Friends Who No Longer Serve You
We’ve all had that one friend who likes to make themselves feel better by bringing us down.
During my sophomore year in college, a friend from my hometown and I decided to be roommates. One we started living together, I quickly discovered that her sarcastic sense of humor that I had once loved was borderline cruel.
I started avoiding her while I was on campus and at home, even when she dropped the classic, “We should hang out,” because I knew that she made me feel inferior when I had no reason to feel that way.
I’m not saying that you need to have friends who tell you that you’re the cat’s meow every day; it’s good to have friends who challenge you. Sure, you might love that person’s sense of humor or the discussions that keep you engaged, but if you leave a get-together feeling crappy, they’re not worth keeping in your life.
Block that individual on all social media accounts. Erase their number. Sit down and talk to them if you can and make it clear that you don’t want to be friends with them anymore. You don’t have to go into the specifics about why if you don’t want to.
You’ll find that ridding yourself of toxic relationships makes you feel so much better about yourself.
Wear Clothes That Make You Feel Good
If you’re comfortable and confident in your clothes, people will sense that. They will be attracted to that easy confidence. But more than that, you will start to feel comfortable with YOURSELF, which goes a long when you’re developing self-esteem.
So if you absolutely KNOW that wearing a dress to a big event will make you want to vomit, even if you’re feeling pressured to wear one, don’t. Find something that flatters you and that you feel comfortable in.
If you spend an entire event worrying about how uncomfortable a garment makes you feel, you won’t be able to live in the present and enjoy the moment – and learning how to enjoy the moment goes a long way in helping to build your self-esteem.
Create Your Own Standards
I’ve found that building your self-esteem can often mean refraining from subscribing to the standards of others. Such standards are often unrealistic.
In order to deal with my depression and keep it at bay, I exercise for an hour a day a few times a week. A good day for me is where my symptoms are controlled, when I’m not triggered by anything around me.
Sure, to some people, that might not be their definition of wellness. Some people go lift weights for an hour, go to a Pilates class, and finish with a run on a treadmill.
I may not work out to that extreme, but I can go to bed knowing that I’ve accomplished something, and that feeling goes a long way in helping me to build my self-esteem. Knowing that I’ve done the best I can for myself, without worrying about what other people expect, makes me feel pretty invincible.
Do Things That Make You Feel Powerful
Doing things that make you feel powerful goes a long way in building your self-esteem. You stretch yourself. You do things you never thought you could do. That feeling that you get as you relish in an accomplishment? Hold on to it.
A few years ago, I traveled to Japan with a parent for a family event. My family wanted me to say a few words at the gathering. I was petrified, but I calmed down once I was assured that my speech didn’t need to be 15 minutes long.
The day of the event, I woke up a ball of nerves and with a stomach ache. I tripped and tottered my way through the crowded Tokyo streets to the restaurant, where more than 30 immediate family members greeted me.
Each one of them sitting at the giant table proceeded to give a “short” speech. As I listened to them, I could feel my face start to whiten. These speeches were not 2 minutes long.
They were 15 minutes long.
How was I supposed to give such a long speech in my second language with a stomach ache?
I started debating the option of delivering the speech in English. I knew I could do that for 15 minutes. Most of the people at the table spoke some English. They would be able to understand most of it. After all, it was the thought that counted, right?
All these thoughts went out the window after I registered the loud whispers being exchanged among my family.
“Is she going to do her speech in English?”
“Her Japanese wasn’t that good the last time she was here.”
When it was my turn, I delivered my speech entirely in Japanese.
Was I nervous?
Yes.
Did people laugh at me when I fumbled over my words?
Yes.
But the expression on my family’s faces as I put them in their place was worth the fumbling and the excruciating stomach pain. More importantly, I felt powerful. I had done something that I didn’t think I could do.
I had pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I now believed that I could do things that I didn’t think were possible.
You don’t have to make a 15-minute speech in a foreign language to feel powerful. You just need to push your boundaries, prove to yourself that you can do things you didn’t think you could. Building your self-esteem starts with small victories. Count them. Write them down. As you grow and evolve, things around you will change. But those feelings of power and self-confidence will stay with you even after the things around you disappear.
How have YOU built up your self-esteem over the years?
Alisa Yui 