Value Yourself

All of us have heard phrases like, “You should have high self-esteem, it’s very important for your overall health…” among others. But do we know what it really means? If you ask me, self-esteem is something that comes from within. It is about having opinions — opinions about yourself. Very often these opinions are not positive, but I think it’s completely fine because we are human. Self-esteem is about having trust in yourself, it’s about understanding that you deserve the absolute best and nothing less. It’s about realizing that you can’t please everyone.

As someone who has spent a lot of time pleasing people and caring about their opinions, I just have one thing to say to you — you can’t keep everyone happy; there will always be someone who won’t be satisfied. The only person you have to keep happy and satisfied is yourself. The moment you truly start feeling happy and content from within, you’ll stop caring about what others think of you.

The only person you have to keep happy and satisfied is yourself. The moment you truly start feeling happy and content from within, you’ll stop caring about what others think of you.

I was talking to a close friend a few weeks back about low self-esteem, insecurities, body image issues, and I spent a little time thinking about how these three are connected. What are body image issues? It’s being engrossed in comparing your body, appearance, skin colour, hair to unrealistic ideals.

Remember, the body you don’t like is an ideal body for someone else and the ideal body for you is a body despised by the one who has it. As we all know, the grass is always greener on the other side. The judgemental society around us has created this unnecessary pressure to look and behave a certain way, but you are by no means obliged to follow them, and you definitely shouldn’t. This led me to conclude that body image issues create insecurities and comparison. As they say, comparison is the thief of joy. Why compare yourself with others when you were born with a unique and individual identity? Stop comparing yourself with others and automatically become the best version of yourself. These insecurities are not required at all. Finally, insecurities and comparison lead to low self-esteem. I’d like to share this wonderful quote with you: “It’s not what you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you are not.” We are all so unique, so distinct, so different that we can do anything we want and achieve everything we want to but just because of “oh, I don’t think I can do that”, it leads you to not being able to achieve that and makes you feel bad about yourself.

Low self-esteem occurs when everyone compliments you but you still don’t feel worthy. But you deserve all those wonderful comments. I want to tell each one of you that you are so wonderful, so precious and so unique. So make it your habit to appreciate yourself. Make a promise to yourself that you will value yourself, and consider yourself deserving of a plethora of happiness and goodness and even more. Because believe me, you really do!