Feeling Good About Yourself

Too often, we only care about mental health when dealing with a problem suffered by ourselves or a loved one, but actually, there’s a lot you can do to improve your mental health and feel good about yourself, as described in “The Six Pillars of Self Esteem,” written by the expert in the field, brilliant psychologist Nathaniel Branden.

“Of all the judgments we pass in life,” Branden says, “none is as important as the one we pass on ourselves. Nearly every psychological problem — from anxiety and depression to self-sabotage at work or at school, from fear of intimacy to chronic hostility — is traceable to low self-esteem. In the chaotic and competitive world we face today, both personal happiness and economic survival rest on how well we understand self-esteem and nurture it in ourselves and in others.”

Branden offers six simple rules that help to build self esteem, six practices to live by that enhance your self worth so you feel good about yourself, and will help you support others around you, your children, parents, siblings, friends, neighbors and co-workers, to feel good about themselves too.

• Live consciously. Make choices and decisions about who you are and what you intend to do, and live by those standards.

• Accept yourself for who you are. No one is perfect, and everyone has positive qualities. Make it okay to be you.

• Take responsibility for what you do. If you do something well, be gracious and receive the praise proudly, if humbly. If you make a mistake, apologize and do what you can to make it right.

• Assert yourself properly. You matter, and if you have a position on something, let it be known. Your willingness to voice your opinion could make a big difference in solving the problem or addressing the task at hand – don’t keep your light under a basket.

• Live purposefully. There is a reason you are here, and a meaning to your life – be optimistic and drive to accomplish what is most important to you, based on your personal beliefs and values.

• Demonstrate personal integrity. Keep your word. Do what you say you’re going to do. Be clear in your expectations of others, accommodate their frailties, and hold yourself to your highest ethical guidelines.

No one can feel good about you for you – only you can decide to feel good about yourself. It reduces stress, avoids mental health issues, and makes it more fun to be around you. And, building up your children in strong and noble thought is the foundation of good parenting.