<ul>
<li>Use positive affirmations correctly and make them more believable.</li>
<li>Identify your competencies and find opportunities that accentuate them.</li>
<li>Learn to accept compliments, even if they make you uncomfortable.</li>
<li>Eliminate self-criticism and introduce self-compassion.</li>
<li>Affirm your real worth.</li>
</ul>

Build lasting self-esteem

<div>
<img src="https://tedideas.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/selfesteem-final2.jpg?w=648"><h2>Everyone is in favor of high self-esteem - but cultivating it can be surprisingly tough. Psychologist Guy Winch explains why - and describes smart ways we can help build ourselves up.</h2>
<p>Many of us recognize the value of improving our feelings of self-worth. When our self-esteem is higher, we not only feel better about ourselves, we are more resilient as well. Brain scan studies demonstrate that when our self-esteem is higher, we are likely to experience common emotional wounds such as <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20144945">rejection</a> and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233005425_High_self-esteem_buffers_negative_feedback_Once_more_with_feeling">failure</a> as less painful, and bounce back from them more quickly. When our self-esteem is higher, we are also <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1460559">less vulnerable to anxiety</a>; we release less cortisol into our bloodstream when under stress, and it is  <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21239598">less likely to linger</a> in our system.</p>
<p>Part of the problem is that our self-esteem is rather unstable to begin with, as it can fluctuate daily, if not hourly. Further complicating matters, our self-esteem comprises both our global feelings about ourselves as well as how we feel about ourselves in the specific domains of our lives (e.g., as a father, a nurse, an athlete, etc.).  The more meaningful a specific domain of self-esteem, the greater the impact it has on our global self-esteem. Having someone wince when they taste the not-so-delicious dinner you prepared will hurt a chef's self-esteem much more than someone for whom cooking is not a significant aspect of their identity.</p>
<p>That said, it is certainly possible to improve our self-esteem if we go about it the right way. Here are five ways to nourish your self-esteem when it is low:</p>
<h3><b>1. Use positive affirmations correctly</b></h3>
<h3><b>2. Identify your competencies and develop them</b></h3>
<p>Self-esteem is built by demonstrating real ability and achievement in areas of our lives that matter to us. If you pride yourself on being a good cook, throw more dinner parties. If you're a good runner, sign up for races and train for them. In short, figure out your core competencies and find opportunities and careers that accentuate them.  </p>
<h3><b>3. Learn to accept compliments</b></h3>
<h3><b>4. Eliminate self-criticism and introduce self-compassion </b></h3>
<h3><b>5. Affirm your real worth</b></h3>
<p>The bottom line is improving self-esteem requires a bit of work, as it involves developing and maintaining healthier emotional habits but doing so, and especially doing so correctly, will provide a great emotional and psychological return on your investment.</p>
<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/guy_winch_the_case_for_emotional_hygiene"><img src="https://tedideas.files.wordpress.com/2016/08/guy_winch_linkable-image.jpg?w=770&amp;h=433"></a> </div>

Many of us recognize the value of improving our feelings of self-worth. When our self-esteem is higher, we not only feel better about ourselves, we are more resilient as well. Brain scan studies demonstrate that when our self-esteem is higher, we are likely to experience common emotional wounds such as rejection and failure as less painful, and bounce back from them more quickly.

5 ways to build lasting self-esteem

Build lasting self-esteem

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