Reflecting on Your Self-Esteem

Many different experiences can have an impact on your self-esteem. Kind words or personal accomplishments can have a positive impact on your self-esteem, while insults or societal stigma can negatively impact you. Having positive or healthy self-esteem means that you are able to accept yourself for who you are, regardless of what other people think of you. Sometimes, having a disability can make it more difficult to have high self-esteem. Disabilities can come with extra challenges that arise from a lack of societal support or even societal discrimination, but there are ways you can work against this. Although it is sometimes hard, it is important to remember that self-esteem comes from within you, and it is entirely within your control to manage your own self-esteem. 

There are many ways to make managing your self-esteem easier. Here are a few to begin:

1. Focus on the positive 

Many situations have good and bad aspects, so try to always focus on the positive in a situation. It’s also helpful to focus on your abilities, rather than your limitations. This will allow you to develop those abilities, and feel even better about what you can do. 

2. Do not compare yourself to others

It is natural to compare yourself to others in order to see how you are doing. However, everyone is built completely different, whether they have a disability or not. These comparisons can therefore be unhelpful for building higher self-esteem. Whenever possible, try to think about your personal growth, rather than thinking about where others are. 

3. Spend time with kind people 

Spending time with people who make you feel good about yourself can have positive effects on your self-esteem. Kind words and support from others can go a long way in building your confidence. Being kind to others, in turn, will make you feel good, boosting the self-esteem of everyone in the process.

Brittany Packnett is an activist and educator who believes that “confidence is the necessary spark before everything that follows.” In this speech, she describes how low self-esteem can be your biggest obstacle in reaching your goals and accepting yourself. 

She believes that there are three main things that can help you build your confidence: permission, community, and curiosity. “Permission births confidence, community nurtures it and curiosity affirms it.” Listen to her TED Talk to see how she built her own confidence, and how she believes that you can too.