SELF ESTEEM AND
SELF WORTH
WHY IS SELF ESTEEM IMPORTANT?
• Positive self esteem has been proven to help motivation, energy and academic achievement
over the long term
• It’s totally normal for people to feel down about themselves from time to time, but when these
feelings start to hang around all the time it’s usually an indication of low self-esteem.
• If you have low self-esteem it means that you have negative ideas about your worth and value
as a person.
• The good news is that you can improve your self esteem!
SIGNS OF LOW SELF ESTEEM
There are various signs of low self-esteem, including: Being really critical of
yourself
Focusing on the negatives and ignoring your accomplishments
Comparing yourself to others
Not accepting any compliments that you receive
Negative self-talk
CAUSES OF LOW SELF-ESTEEM
• The first step to building up self-esteem is figuring out why it’s low in the first place. There are
lots of different things that could be the cause of low self-esteem, including:
Loneliness
Poor academic performance
Bullying
Neglect
Abuse
Feeling like you’re the odd one out
Something going on at a deeper level
• Whether or not you know exactly what the cause is, there are steps that you can take to build
your confidence and bring your self-esteem up to where it belongs.
TEN STEPS TO IMPROVE SELF ESTEEM
1. POSITIVE SELF TALK
The way that you think about
yourself has a huge influence on
your self-esteem. If you keep
telling yourself that you’re no
good, you might just start to
believe it even though it’s not
true. If you notice that you
practice negative self-talk often,
check out some ways that you
can challenge your negative
thinking and build your
confidence levels.
CHANGE THESE NEGATIVE
STATEMENTS INTO POSITIVE ONES:
N E G AT I V E POSITIVE
1. I am a slow runner … 1. But I am a great table tennis player.
2. Sometimes I find my studies hard 2. ____________________________________
…
3. Sometimes I get lonely … 3. ____________________________________
2. DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO
OTHERS
It can be really tempting to measure
our own worth against other people.
So what if your friend is awesome at
basketball? You just need to figure
out what your niche is. Everyone is
great at something - what are
your strengths?
1. _____________________________
2. _____________________________
3. _____________________________
3. EXERCISE
Exercise helps
to improve your
mood.
End of story.
4. DON’T STRIVE FOR PERFECTION
It’s really great if
you want to do
things well, but
keep in mind that
perfection isn’t
possible
CHOOSE ONE ISSUE YOU STRUGGLE WITH AND COME UP
WITH TWO IDEAS OF HOW YOU COULD START TO MAKE
PROGRESS WITH IT:
EXAMPLE: YO U R T U R N :
“I am nervous about having to Issue: ___________________________
give a speech in class.”
1. Practice in front of your 1. _____________________________
_____________________________
family/trusted friends
_____________________________
2. Visualise how good you will feel 2. _____________________________
when you have successfully _____________________________
completed the task _____________________________
_____________________________
5. DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP WHEN YOU
MAKE A MISTAKE
Everyone on the planet
makes mistakes – it’s in our
basic human nature. Why
should you be any different?
When you stuff up, don’t
stress, just learn from it and
move on.
6. FOCUS ON THE THINGS YOU CAN
CHANGE
There’s no point wasting all
your energy thinking about
things that you can’t change.
Why don’t you have a think
about some of the things that
are in your power to control
and see what you can do
about those?
FOCUS ON THE THINGS YOU CAN
CHANGE – YOUR TURN
T H I N G S I C A N N OT C H A N G E THINGS I CAN CHANGE
1. The shape of my face 1. Whether I smile or frown
2. _____________________________ 2. _____________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________
3. _____________________________ 3. _____________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________
7. DO THINGS THAT YOU ENJOY
If you’re doing things that
you enjoy you’re more
Things that I enjoy include: likely to be thinking
1. ________________________ positively. Schedule time for
________________________
fun and relaxation into
2. ________________________
________________________ every day.
3. ________________________
________________________
8. CELEBRATE THE SMALL STUFF
Start small and work
your way up – you
can’t expect any huge
progress to be made
overnight.
9. BE HELPFUL AND CONSIDERATE
T H I N G S I C A N D O TO H E L P
OT H E R S
Not only is helping people a 1. _____________________
great way to boost the moods 2. _____________________
of others, but you might find
3. _____________________
that you feel better about
yourself after doing something
particularly excellent.
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SUPPORTIVE
PEOPLE
Don’t hang around people
who bring you down. Find a
group of people who make
you feel good about
yourself and avoid those
who tend to trigger your
negative thinking.
STILL NOT HELPING?
• If you’ve tried putting these tips into action for a while and you haven’t noticed
any differences in the way you feel about yourself, it’s a good idea to talk to
someone you trust about it, like a friend or family member.
• You might also want to make an appointment with a counsellor who can work
with you to figure out exactly what’s at the root of your low self-esteem, and
how to fix it.
• Dealing with self-esteem isn’t easy but these people are there to help you if
you want it.
PLACES WHERE YOU CAN GET HELP
• The school counsellor – free and confidential! Contact your year adviser or
favourite teacher to organise a confidential referral.
• Headspace: http://headspace.org.au/
• Kids help line: https://kidshelpline.com.au/
• ReachOut: http://au.reachout.com/
• Beyondblue Youth: https://www.youthbeyondblue.com
• Black Dog Institute: http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/
