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Ready to build unbreakable confidence and become the best version of yourself? These self-esteem activities will transform your life!
Everyone wants to grow their self-esteem and learn how to love themselves, but not everyone knows where to start. If you spend a lot of time feeling critical of yourself, don’t worry: Building your self-esteem is actually not the big and scary endeavor that you might think it is! By practicing these simple and fun self-esteem activities, you’ll be on your way to feeling better about yourself, thinking more positively, and living the life of your dreams.
These self-esteem activities are not only my personal favorites that I use in my everyday life (so yes, they do work!), they are also backed by scientific evidence to have an effect on your brain chemistry. I’ve changed my outlook on myself, my life, and my abilities all by putting in a bit of work and practicing these points. Take a look at these 9 self-esteem activities that are simple, doable, and just plain fun (Honestly, nobody wants to do things that are boring!) that will leave you feeling like a million bucks in no time.
This post is all about self esteem activities.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
1. Daily Affirmations
“Affirmations” aren’t just a trendy buzzword — They are essentially the secret sauce to transforming your thoughts and steering your life in the right direction. There’s scientific evidence backing up their effectiveness when it comes to rewiring your brain. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is like the superhero of psychology, and it plays a vital role in understanding why affirmations work. CBT focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By changing negative thought patterns, you can reshape your emotional responses and actions. Now, let’s connect the dots with affirmations.
Affirmations act as positive reinforcements that challenge and replace negative thoughts. When you repeat affirmations consistently, you’re essentially rewiring your brain. CBT teaches us that changing our thoughts can lead to changes in emotions and behaviors. So, repeating positive affirmations aligns perfectly with the principles of CBT, creating a powerful synergy.
Now, let’s craft affirmations that hit the sweet spot. They should be specific, positive, and believable. Instead of a generic “I am successful,” try “I am confidently taking steps toward my goals every day.” See the difference?
Examples of Effective Affirmations:
- Negative Thought: “I’m not good enough.” Affirmation: “I am more than enough, and I continue to grow and improve every day.”
- Negative Thought: “I can’t handle this stress.” Affirmation: “I am resilient, and I can navigate challenges with grace and ease.”
- Negative Thought: “I always mess things up.” Affirmation: “I learn from my mistakes and use them as stepping stones to success.”
Incorporating Affirmations into Your Routine:
- Morning Ritual: Start your day with positive vibes. Repeat affirmations while getting ready or during your morning coffee ritual.
- Mirror Talk: Stand in front of the mirror and affirm yourself. It might feel a bit silly at first, but trust me, it works wonders.
- Post-It Power: Stick affirmations on your mirror, desk, or laptop. Regular visual reminders can create a positive mental environment.
Remember to stay consistent, give it time, and make it enjoyable and customized to your own personal liking.
2. Gratitude Journaling
Gratitude journaling is a great way to kick-start positive feelings in your life and greatly aid in self-esteem building. Start your mornings by writing a list of what you’re grateful for, either mentally or physically, and watch how your morning transforms. By shifting your mind from focusing on the negative to paying attention to the positive, you’re more likely throughout the day to continue to focus on what you’re grateful for instead of what your life is lacking.
I’m currently loving this Gratitude Journal from Amazon that has all the features I love: It’s undated so you can use it at any point in time, features an inspirational quote at the top, features prompts that require 3 things you’re grateful for, 3 things you would like to focus your energy on today, and a positive affirmation. Additionally, there’s a section to write in at night to reflect on how your day went and end the day with gratitude.
Just five minutes a day with this gratitude journal helps boost your happiness and mindfulness.
3. Self Esteem Activities in Self-Care Rituals
Building up your self-esteem may seem like a huge task if you have no idea where to start and have been struggling with your own self concept for a long time. However, a great and simple place to start involves building your own list of self-care rituals. These should be tailored to your own liking, but you can certainly get inspiration from others. Here’s my personal daily routine I’m loving:
Self-Care Ritual Routine (that’s simple enough to do every day):
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- Start with Gratitude Journaling: The moment I wake up, I grab my journal, and start my day by focusing on the positive.
- Visualize or Meditate: We’ll get into these in-depth later on, but I love to take only a few minutes to relax each part of my body and do one of two things: Let my mind float and take a peaceful moment to relax, or really tune into a scene of myself living out a goal or dream I hope to accomplish.
- Make your Bed: Starting off your day by making your bed will help build discipline and leave you feeling accomplished first thing in the morning.
- Brush your Teeth and Wash your Face: I then head to the bathroom to take care of myself and prepare for the day, ending with some simple skincare and facial massage that leaves me feeling energized.
- Put on a Cute, Comfortable Outfit: Even though I work from home, I always take some time to put on something that makes me feel productive yet cute and cozy.
- Nourish your Body: As my morning begins, I fill up a full bottle of water, eat a healthy breakfast, and take my vitamins. Lately I’m loving my Stanley Cup that can hold 40 oz of water and keep me hydrated as I start my day of work.
4. Practicing Self-Compassion
Being gentle with yourself is essential in boosting self-esteem. Think self-compassion = self-esteem. If you’re not used to being kinder to yourself during setbacks and failures, it might feel like a foreign concept at first. However, the more you try to change your automatic negative thoughts, the easier it will become.
Steps to Mastering Self-Compassion:
- Notice Negative Thoughts: Start by noticing each time you have a negative opinion of yourself: If you accidentally broke a dish, notice if the voice in your head tells you, “I’m such an idiot, I shouldn’t have done that. Why am I so clumsy?”
- Talk Back: When you hear the criticism, talk back to it with something more logical and less emotionally-charged: “I made a mistake, which is okay because I’m only human. Luckily, nobody got hurt.”
- Write it Down: You can write down both the automatic thoughts and your positive self-talk on a piece of paper by splitting it into two columns. Seeing it written out helps tremendously and is much stronger than simply stating these things in your head.
5. Goal Setting Self Esteem Activities
Goal setting isn’t just a checklist; it’s a roadmap to self-love. When you set and achieve goals, you’re basically giving yourself a front-row ticket to a confidence-boosting extravaganza. It’s like, “Hey, look what I just did – I’m unstoppable!” When you set a goal and crush it, your brain releases a burst of dopamine – the ultimate happy chemical. It’s like your brain saying, “Yasss, you did that!” So, each goal smashed is a step toward building your self-esteem and self-concept.
Goal Setting 101:
- Slay SMART Goals: Make ’em Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This ensures your goals are precise, doable, and ready to conquer.
- Dream Big, Break Down: Start with big dreams, then break them into bite-sized, conquerable goals. It’s like building a skyscraper one floor at a time instead of getting overwhelmed by the entire thing.
- Celebrate Every Win: Whether it’s a major milestone or a tiny victory, celebrate like you just landed a dream job.
- Get Others Involved: If you want, you can share your goals with your friends or family, anyone who is very supportive in your life. It helps when you have people cheering you on!
6. Positive Visualization
The secret to visualization is that there is no secret — You just have to make it work for you. As I stated before, I love doing some visualization early in the morning, but you can also try it whenever works for you: On a peaceful walk, before bed, or after a workout.
I start by getting into a completely relaxed and comfortable state, imaging each part of my body is completely relaxed. Then, I tap into a positive memory of a place I love to be and make it as vivid as possible, like I’m truly there: I feel the sun beating down on my skin as I walk my dog on a summer day on my favorite street near my vacation house. Make it as real as possible by seeing life through your own eyes, looking around at the details around you, taking in the sights and smells (all in your mind, of course!). When you’re in your happy place, imagine you’re doing or achieving what it is that you want. Maybe you simply feel at peace and grateful for life, maybe you’re with your dream partner, or maybe you’re walking into your dream job. The choice is yours!
8. Get Offline
Unfortunately, excessive use of the internet and social media has been known to impact self-esteem. Living in a virtual world of constant comparison and fakeness, it’s no wonder social media can make so many of us miserable.
If you feel like you’re having a hard time kicking your social media habit, try these steps:
- Put your phone in a different room or somewhere it can’t easily be accessed, especially while you work.
- Try installing apps that limit screen time of certain social media that you just can’t stop using. ScreenZen is extremely helpful by limiting the amount of time you use the app for, keeping track of how many times you click on it, and keeping a “streak” of how many days you haven’t used the app excessively.
- Replace your phone habit with other habits: Reading, playing a game, getting a new hobby. Remember: The hobby should be easy and simple enough that it’s comparable to something as mindless as using a phone. Replacing social media with something you find to be an intensive activity that requires a lot of effort will feel too difficult in the beginning.
9. Volunteering or Helping Others
An unexpected way to build self-esteem is actually stop focusing on yourself and to give that attention to other people. This may be volunteering or helping out somewhere, but it could also mean helping your loved ones and doing kind things for others you know.
There you have it: 9 self-esteem activities to slay the confidence game and bring out the fabulous you. Embrace these activities, make them a part of your daily routine, and watch the magic unfold. You’re not just building self-esteem; you’re unleashing the unstoppable, confident queen within. Own it!
This post was all about self esteem activities.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
