If you have read ‘Identifying low self-esteem’ and concluded that you are indeed suffering from this, what can you do next, as in right now? There are many activities you can do, and I’ll make sure to write another article listing helpful websites and resources, but for now, these are my top tips to get you started.

Taking action is challenging. It can feel easier to remain in your ‘safe’ place – if you don’t try, you can’t fail right? Wrong! Living with low self-esteem is debilitating and stops you from living your life to the full. We only get one life, and it is short, so it is time to take control and improve how you feel about yourself.

1. Talk

The most effective way to deal with low self-esteem (in my opinion) is to talk about it. I found it hard to talk to people who knew me, as you really need to delve quite deep into your soul to figure out why you have these feelings. I would highly recommend speaking to a trained counsellor. They often will use CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) to help you understand yourself and challenge your negative beliefs. I found this very useful and still use the advice today. You might not be able to see anyone straight away (if you go through the NHS), but at least get the process started today.

2. Read professional guidance

Another resource I would highly recommend is the book series Overcoming Low Self-Esteem. At £15.99, it is a steal for three books which might change your life! My counsellor used these books so they come highly commended by experts. They give you excellent step-by-step guidance on how to get to the bottom of the root of your self-esteem and then how to improve it. The book series is good if you can’t bring yourself to talk to anybody for now, so click that buy button now!

3. Take practical steps

Within the book series, there is a practical exercise which I found so helpful. It is all about identifying your negative predictions and then challenging them and finding alternative perspectives. You can read my posts to get a head-start 🙂

4. Introduce exercise into your life

Another big recommendation from me is to exercise. Even if you only manage a walk around the block at first (there are real benefits to power walking!), it is a step toward self-care, which you need right now. As Elle from Legally Blonde says, ‘exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy’! It is cliche but true…and if you sit on your bum all the time eating sugary food and putting on weight, your self-esteem will continue to suffer.

5. Do something daily

My final tip, which is something you can get started today, is to go through the 30 day self-esteem challenge. This is an activity I found on another blog, and it gave me something to do everyday to understand how I felt about myself and challenge some of my negative thoughts. Try and be honest but also positive throughout the challenge. It’s not a miracle worker, but it gets you on the right track to focus on giving yourself some attention and love, which I promise you fully deserve.

Please do explore the rest of the website for more tips on improving your self-esteem. My next article in this series will be focused on things to avoid when you have low self-esteem…