When we speak of self-esteem we are essentially referring to the quality, quantity and form of self-love. It is one of the most important components for mental and emotional health and stability, and I could say that it is one of the most relevant factors not only for the tranquility and happiness of people, but for their achievements and triumphs.
Self-esteem is a very big concept, it includes many aspects, since the term love is also enormous. However, we can describe some components of self-esteem that it is necessary to know and develop in order to strengthen self-love. These factors are:
1. Self-concept: I consider this to be the most important aspect on which self-esteem is based. The self-concept refers to all the beliefs you have about yourself, it is what you think of yourself, about your essence, what you are, your characteristics, your abilities, among other things. Note that we mean what you believe, not necessarily what it is. Therefore, self-concept is defined in terms of beliefs, paradigms, judgments, and thoughts. Sometimes they have a real basis, but in other cases they don't. Self-concept is something very subjective, it depends on you and what you think you are.
2. Self-knowledge: I include this component in self-esteem since knowing yourself is vital to self-love. It is highly unlikely that we will truly love something without knowing it. Love supposes knowledge. We can get excited and even fall in love with something or someone we don't know, but never feel mature love as such. For this reason, self-knowledge is the foundation for generating an
objective evaluation and assessment of yourself, and for you to know who you are and what you are capable of. Furthermore, acceptance is also based on knowledge.
3. Self-confidence: this is another basic pillar of self-esteem, and it refers to believing in yourself, knowing that you can achieve what you set out to do, that you have what it takes to fulfill your dreams and that you are in the right attitude. However, self-confidence does not refer to the irrational and fantasy belief that I can do everything, but is based on self-knowledge, since you know what you have, but also what are your limitations and what aspects of your life you must work to meet your goals. Trusting yourself implies that you know what you are and what you are not, but always trusting that you are capable of being.
4. Self-image: a fundamental element for self-love is liking oneself. Self-image refers to precisely this, how you see yourself, how much you like and like yourself. Self-image refers to several aspects, the most immediate is the physical aspect, where you look in the mirror and feel that you are facing a person with a beauty of your own, whether others like it or not. The second is attitude. You can be a very attractive person, but if your attitude is sour, you may not value that, and you will not please others either. But if your attitude is overwhelming, even if you do not comply with the canons of beauty arbitrarily imposed by society, you will have an appeal that no one can deny.
5. Self-acceptance: finally, the 5th fundamental pillar of self-esteem is self-acceptance. It is not enough to have a good self-concept, to know yourself very well, to have good self-confidence and to like yourself a lot, you have to accept all these aspects. Many people are aware of their treasures, their achievements, they know they have an appeal, they know their talents, and they even serve others, but they are not accepted. They feel that what they have is not enough and that they are not worthy of anything. Acceptance consists of respecting and embracing all that you are, both the good and the limitations and defects.
Self-esteem has many other components, but I consider that these 5 are essential pillars, they are the main columns on which self-love is based, and that working on them is the main objective when you want to strengthen personal esteem.
I invite you to take a look at the virtual book "Effective Strategies to Strengthen Self-esteem", where you will find many ways and considerations in the task of working for your self-esteem. Your life will not be the same after reading and applying what this book says.
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If you want to know more about strategies to improve self-esteem, or if you want to work on you in a more personalized way through face-to-face psychotherapeutic consultations or by Skype, click here.
I wish you the greatest blessings.
Guillermo Mendoza Vélez
www.SaludMentalyEmocional.com
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