5 tips for teens to have a healthy self-esteem
Building self-esteem was hard enough for your parents, but as a teenager, everything embarrassing you ever do is most likely captured on video. Social media shows the most interesting parts of people’s lives. TV shows everyone living perfect lives, with perfect bodies, amazing friends, and supportive parents. Even if that is what YOUR socials portray, chances are, you struggle with self-esteem, comparing yourself to others, and have thoughts that you aren’t good enough.
As a therapist, I am in a privileged position to see that even the most popular, good looking, and wealthy teenagers struggle with self-esteem issues. In these situations, many of these teens live every day fearing that they will fall from their pedestal or they will take a wrong step.
Here are 5 tips to help teens boost their self-esteem:
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Be Kind!
Be kind to yourself and remember that everyone makes mistakes. Think about how you might support a good friend and try supporting yourself in the same way.
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Set Realistic Goals:
Instead of telling yourself “I want to go to college” or “I want to lose weight”, set goals of studying for this next test or eating more fruits and vegetables. Research shows that people who are able to set obtainable goals, tend to feel better about themselves and are actually more likely to reach those goals.
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Remember that NO ONE is perfect:
Understand that everyone has strengths and weaknesses. I am personally bad at math, but as a therapist, that doesn’t really matter because I don’t use math in my day-to-day work life. Choose a career that plays on your strengths. I don’t care who you are, you have strengths that are marketable. You just have to figure out what those strengths are.
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Learn from Failure:
I have a quote up in my office that says: “A master has failed more than a beginner has even tried”. Remember that to be good at anything, you have to fail at it a lot because that is how you get good at it!
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Get help when you need it:
Whether you are struggling at school or with self-esteem, get help! If you have a relative, a teacher or school counselor you trust, ask them for help. I work with teens all the time to help them develop a better self-esteem. It is very common for teenagers to have low-self-esteem. Just because it is common, doesn’t mean that it is easy. Get help so you can enjoy life!
If you are looking for a therapist to help with your low self-esteem, please call Long Beach Therapy at 562-310-9741 or email us at info@longbeachtherapy.com