Maintain Higher Self Esteem During Tough Times
Higher Confidence Levels During a Challenging Time
Aug 17, 2009
The present economic crisis has presented many challenges to millions of people globally. Millions of people have been tested emotionally, spiritually and financially and there appears to be no easing of these challenges either. Subsequently, this can take a toll on an individual’s self esteem levels, because challenging times require an individual to stand firm and “step up” in the face of adversity.
In times of great upheaval, there is also a tendency for some people to seek “safer shores,” and crave the “good old days,” or times when things were more stable. Research is now suggesting that people are going to have to get use to the constant upheaval as a result if what is happening socially, economically and politically. Hoping and praying for the “good old times” just hampers the process of progression both personally and professionally.
Price Waterhouse Coopers even summarised the decade ending 2006 as ten years of high speed change which saw major events such as the Enron debacle, bursting of the dotcom bubble, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Gulf War, sharp jump in commodity prices, the rise of emerging market economies and growing concerns about global warming. The world sure has been through a “bumpy ride” of continuous and unrelenting change!
Maintaining a higher self esteem during challenging and turbulent times can help enormously, but it does require a conscientious and concerted effort on the individual’s behalf. It requires an individual to engage in personal development consistently whilst ensuring s/he is aware of experiences and events; this can lead to lower self esteem.
Keeping a Positive Mindset
Presently, people are consistently having to be quite innovative in order to find ways to help them navigate the many challenges they face. This can be an exhausting, frustrating and stressful time, especially if the mindset is not geared toward being consistently proactive. In some cases, an individual may wish to rise up to the challenges, yet his/her limiting beliefs can play a significant role in hampering the process and causing the person to question his/her confidence and self worth.
Greater awareness around self talk can also prove to be useful because it can provide clarity on how an individual views a particular experience or event. Self talk is the inner mental chatter that is with a person from the moment s/he wakes up till s/he goes to sleep. If left unchecked this chatter can be mostly negative, which is why it helps if an individual to keep a check on the types of positive or negative conversations taking place in his/her mind.
A positive attitude can also help lead to higher self esteem because it offers an optimistic outlook on the challenges an individual faces. When an individual feels that there are options and solutions available to him/her, then this provides the mind with a heightened and renewed sense of hope and optimism. It is important to appreciate the difference between a positive attitude and the “Pollyanna effect.” The former takes a realistic and wholesome approach to life where as the latter looks at life events through “rose tinted glasses.”
Activities Which Increase Self Esteem
The following activities can also help increase self esteem during challenging and turbulent times:
- Daily positive affirmations;
- Daily journaling and making a note of when “dips” occur in self esteem. Are there patterns emerging or times of day/week this is likely to happen?
- Spending time daily on gratitude by making a list of all the things an individual is grateful for. This can really help an individual get perspective very quickly;
- Spending time focusing on an individual’s successes to date and this can be a great booster when the individual finds his/her self esteem lowering. Such reminders can also inspire future positive experiences;
- Reading autobiographies of historical figures and learning how these individuals fared in the face of adversity;
- Set small and realistic goals both personally and professionally. Completing them will give a sense of accomplishment.
Unprecedented times have brought unprecedented challenges for millions of people across the world. There is no doubt that even the most optimistic and positive person may have experienced some level of lower self esteem during the challenging economic times.
However, challenging times also require different and proactive approaches to overcome the numerous challenges which are presented. The methods or approaches which worked previously for an individual may not be sufficient to tackle the challenges that s/he faces today. An individual is most likely to face lower self esteem if s/he feels that there are no alternatives, which is why it is imperative that an individual engages in personal development regularly.
Regular personal development can lead to greater empowerment, optimism and ultimately, higher self esteem. This is as a consequence of the individual feeling s/he has a degree of control in making decisions which will impact subsequent experiences.
Readers may also like to read challenging times requires innovative thinking and personal development during the crunch times and healthy financial self esteem.
Resources:
- Caunt, John. Creating Success: Boost Your Self Esteem. Kogan Page. October 2002.
 |
