5 Habits Ruining Your Self-Esteem

Habits – you know you have more than 5, we all do, but let’s start with my favorite 5 ones to break:

Self-esteem is a rare commodity that only a portion of the population gets to enjoy. If you’d like to learn how to build up your self-esteem, you must first learn what you’re doing on a daily basis that could be destroying it instead.

Comparing

One majorly toxic habit that will destroy your self-esteem is the habit of comparing yourself to others. You cannot focus so much of your time and emotions on how your life differs in comparison with the lives of others. “A paper in the journal Science reported that activation in brain areas related to reward respond to relative differences in wealth even more than absolute amounts. Evidently, many Silicon Valley millionaires feel deprived because they can’t keep up with the billionaires in their neighborhood” (Psychology Today). Focus instead on becoming the best version of yourself and your path will unfold before you, leading you to a destiny greater than one you could have imagined.

Procrastinating

Procrastination is a serious killer of self-esteem because it prevents us from ever starting on a project, assignment, or goal that would be a huge boost to our self-esteem. Our self-esteem strengthens as we accomplish things we never thought we could. We cannot accomplish things if we never start. Do something today that your future self with thank you for.

People-Pleasing

This is a habit that a lot of people have. We are conditioned at a young age to do and say whatever is pleasing to adults. This habit quickly evolves into a toxic mentality of self-sacrifice that leaves us feeling as if we’re not here to do anything but to serve the will of others (Bustle). There is no presence of self-esteem when we are putting others’ happiness ahead of our own. You don’t have to be selfish. Just make sure you’re doing things that make you happy at the end of the day.

Destructive Coping Mechanisms

When we feel bad about ourselves, it’s difficult to acknowledge and process that emotion. To hide how badly we feel about ourselves, we turn to addictive vices or self-destructive behaviors. Alcohol, prescription drugs, and controlled substances can be extremely addictive under the right social circumstances (Casa Nuevo Vida). They are a distraction from what we’re feeling. Face what you’re feeling, learn healthy ways to cope with it, and rise above it.

Treating Others Badly

When we feel bad about ourselves, it’s easy to transfer those feelings onto other people. We find it comforting when someone else is hurting worse than we are, but that’s not a healthy solution. We end up feeling even worse after the guilt sets in over what we’ve done. Always treat others with kindness because what you send out in the world will come back to you. The person you’re kind to today might end up saving you from yourself tomorrow.

If you find that you are unable to break free from these habits that are destroying your self-esteem, you may want to seek out the advice of a mentor. A mentor will be able to help you work through breaking these bad habits and learning new, healthier habits.

Hey! wait… I can be your mentor! That is if you are ready to take the first step and make contact … are you ready? Make the first contact and let’s talk

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