Self-Confidence & Self-Esteem Issues / Question
Published: August 30, 2000
Dear TeenHealthFX,
I'm a 14 year old girl and a lot of people tell me I could be a model and they say I'm pretty but I feel that I have very bad self-esteem and I don't have enough courage to go get evaluated by a model agency. Is there anyway I can boost my self-esteem? HELP PLEASE!!!
Signed: Modeling & Low Self Esteem
Dear Modeling & Low Self Esteem,
Self-esteem is confidence and satisfaction in oneself, and an appreciation of who you are. To have self-esteem is to respect yourself and to be aware of your weaknesses as well as your strengths. You must believe in yourself and accept yourself to have a positive self-concept.
To develop positive self-concept you must discover your strengths and limitations. You can sharpen your strengths and build upon them to reach a higher level of satisfaction. One way to see your strengths is to formulate a list of your good and bad qualities. Look at each quality you have listed and rate it on its importance to how you feel about yourself. From there, you can figure out the wonderful qualities that make you special and unique, as well as whether or not you want to change or improve any aspects of yourself.
The following is a list of suggestions to help you develop a positive self-concept:
- Begin positive self-talk; do not put yourself down
- Do quality work; then compliment yourself to yourself
- Set goals
- Dress successfully or dress in a way that makes you feel good about yourself
- Speak up and let others know your views
- Tackle the things you fear; do not put them off or fuss over them
- Forgive yourself as you would others
- Continue to learn and be observant
- Change undesirable habits and develop productive habits
- Seize opportunities to learn new skills
- Stand up for others
- Maintain good physical condition
- Appreciate what you can do, rather than what you are unable to do
- Can?t compare yourself to others
- Count your blessings
- Go the extra mile to do your best
- Believe in yourself
Another good idea is to remember two areas that can influence your life:
- Your personal thoughts - Are you positive or negative?
- The people you "hang around" - Do they enhance your good qualities or your bad qualities?
TeenHealthFX hopes these suggestions are helpful to you. You are the one in charge of building your self-esteem. It is an ongoing but rewarding project.
Signed: TeenHealthFX
Teens who drink are more likely to be victims of violent crimes and sexual assault, have serious problems in school, be involved in drinking-related traffic crashes, and develop problems with alcohol later in life.
