The Big 4 of Emotional Resilience : Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is the emotional state of feeling worthy and respected by others, and the first of the Big 4 of Emotional Resilience that I am going to explore.

Here’s the science : at times of stress our adrenal glands continue to release increasing levels of the stress hormone cortisol. One of the effects of this can be an attack on our self-esteem, which is why we should be thinking about boosting our self-esteem right now.

Obviously, this is a very wide-ranging topic. In fact, I have one client whose overriding goal is to raise their self-esteem, so everything we do is geared towards that. I am not going to get into aspects like affirmation and visualization in this note, as I simply look to present a few easy hacks. If you want to know more about them DM me.

Belief in your inherent goodness is critical for self-esteem to flourish. Show yourself some compassion.

Consistent application of positive self-talk will multiply positive feelings about yourself.

A regular gratitude practice with journaling can help you stay focused on the positive and is especially helpful when negative thoughts and feelings threaten to overwhelm you. As part of a morning routine, you can list in your journal at least one good thing about yourself. I am seeing an increasing number of negative posts on LinkedIn about morning routines, so look out for my own post about the positive effect of a morning routine.

List your wins. Hitting goals will increase your self-esteem.

Abundance and an abundant mindset is another topic in itself, so let me just finish this note with a line from the excellent book The Source by Dr. Tara Swart, “one of the most prominent voices in neuroscience.” “Abundance feeds our self-esteem and confidence, helps us stay resilient during the tough times.” Start using the simple hacks I have listed and you will start to cultivate an abundance mindset.