Over the next few weeks, I am looking at common thoughts that people with low self-esteem have, found within this Buzzfeed article, and how we can possibly address them. For the full list, click here.

Having low self-esteem is not something that is easy to control. People with low self-esteem do not want to feel low about themselves. We want to look in the mirror and love our appearance. Instead, we look at ourselves and see flaws. I have tackled this and often now look in the mirror and feel good, although the moments still come when the tunnel vision returns and I can’t see the positives.

So what can you do to start feeling good when you look in the mirror?

• Look at yourself as a whole person. Before, whenever I looked in the mirror, my gaze would go directly to my scars and I would focus on these only and feel down about my appearance. My counsellor advised me to focus on looking at myself as a whole, rather than specific parts. This takes practice but it worked well for me. Next time you look at yourself in the mirror, look at yourself as a whole – your eyes, arms, heart, soul…everything! That’s what matters.

• Do make time for your appearance. Taking care of your appearance is important for your self-esteem. If you don’t wear clothes that make you feel good, or get regular hair cuts, you will start to feel low about yourself. I am not saying appearance is more important than personality, but you do deserve to feel good and accentuate your qualities. Do what you need to do to feel positive.

• Accept you will have those days. Even those celebrities who spend millions of pounds on their appearance have days when they look in the mirror and don’t like what they see. It is totally normal to have days when your hair won’t look right, you’re a bit bloated or all of your clothes look boring. At these times, spritz on some perfume and remember: a shining personality will always trump good looks.

• Work on increasing your low self-esteem. If you are always hating what you see in the mirror, chances are you need to start taking more action to boost your self-esteem. Start exercising, stay free of toxic relationships and challenge your negative thoughts. Check out more general tips here, and keep checking boostesteem.com for inspiration.