SELF-ESTEEM AND ITS IMPORTANCE

 SELF-ESTEEM AND ITS IMPORTANCE

The opinion you form about yourself is known as self-esteem. It is about how much one values oneself and think your worth is. It is important to have a high self-esteem to ensure a healthy physical and mental life.

Learning Outcomes:

• Explore the concept of self-esteem
• Analyse their personal strengths and weaknesses
• Appreciate the role of self-esteem to lead a healthy life

Low Self-Esteem and its impact:

• People with low self-esteem have a hard time evaluating their strengths and weaknesses.
• They often have an unrealistic, overall negative impression of themselves and tend to be pessimistic.
• The first step to build self-esteem is to take a realistic look at one’s strengths and weaknesses.

High Self-Esteem and its impact:

• People with high self-esteem are realistic about their strengths and weaknesses and are able to set goals and work towards them with optimism.
• They do not take other people’s negative impressions on them too seriously.
• Self-knowledge builds foundation for a high self-esteem.

ACTIVITY I

SELF-ESTEEM - ITS IMPORTANCE

A. The statements below describe self-esteem and how people with high and low self-esteem behave. Read the statements and mark true or false against each.

Sl. No.	Statement	True/False
1	Self Esteem means feeling good about yourself.
2	Self Esteem means feeling good about others.
3	Self Esteem means being proud of who and what you are.
4	A person who care about his health has high self esteem.
5	A person with low self-esteem is unhappy when others succeed.
6	High self-esteem means doing things that make other people happy.
7	A person with high self-esteem is always concerned about what other people may think of him.
8	A person with high self-esteem learns from others.
9	A person with high self-esteem feels good while making fun of others.
10	A person with high self-esteem is very confident and optimistic.
11	High self-esteem means being full of pride or having a “big head”.
12	A person with low self-esteem enjoys new experiences.

B. Now that you have learned and have enough information about yourself, write and share in the respective groups a short paragraph that illustrates positive qualities, strengths and potentials in you.

OVERCOMING LOW SELF-ESTEEM

Having low self-esteem can cause hindrances in the process of growing up. As one gets older and is faced with having to make tough decisions, especially under pressure, the more self-esteem one has the better decisions one can make. It is important that an individual understands and knows his or her worth.

Learning Outcomes: Participants will be able to:

• Recognize the symptoms of low self-esteem
• Learn ways to overcome negative feelings like fear, guilt, depression, etc.

Symptoms of low self-esteem are:

• Fears like – no one loves me, my friends do not like me, I am useless, etc.
• Feeling of shame – I am not rich, I am dark, I am a curse on earth, etc.
• Depressed feeling – That is feeling sad for a long time.
• Unrealistic expectations and feeling bad upon not achieving it.
• Body image problem – not liking one’s looks in general.
• Belief that the world is a ‘bad place’ – finding everything unfair to them.

ACTIVITY II

1. Take one slip of paper being passed around.
2. Do not write your name on the slip.
3. Look at what is written on the board carefully.
4. Write down the negative self-esteem symptoms that you feel apply to you on the slip.
5. Hand your slip back once you are done.
6. After we go through them together, read the ways of enhancing self-esteem in your worksheet.
7. Fill in the details in your worksheet based on what you learned.

Here are tips to overcome your self-esteem. Study them carefully and answer the questions in Worksheet below:

1. Love yourself: Take care of yourself. Remember that you are unique.
2. Do what you love: This would give you a good feeling.
3. Write down your good qualities: This would remind you of your strengths.
4. Develop long and short term goals: This can keep you motivated.
5. Have a sense of humour: Learn to laugh at yourself.
6. Help others – both people and animals: This brings pure joy and satisfaction.
7. Drop your negative friends: Because they pull down your confidence.
8. Celebrate success: Celebration boosts self-confidence and good feeling.

OVERCOMING LOW SELF-ESTEEM

1. Do you love yourself? Describe the ways in which you take care of yourself?
2. List the things that you love to do?

List of Things That I Love To Do
1	2
3	4
5	6
7	8
9	10

 3. List your good qualities

List of My Good Qualities
1	2
3	4
5	6
7	8
9	10

4. Have you ever laughed at yourself? Describe the situation.

5. Have you helped any person or animal in the recent past? Describe the situation.