What is self-esteem? Self-esteem is our sense of personal value or self-worth
There are three different types of self-esteem:
Global or trait self-esteem: our overall sense of self-worth. Remains fairly constant over time.
State self-esteem: our emotional reactions to particular events, which reduces or increases feelings of self-worth.
Domain self-esteem: our personal appraisal of our physical attributes, abilities and personality. For example, you may have high academic self-esteem, but low social self-esteem.
People with healthy levels of self-esteem are likely to:
appreciate themselves for who they are;
accept their weaknesses as well as their strengths; and
take pride in what they do and achieve.
People with low self-esteem tend to:
accentuate the negative in situations;
be overly concerned about what other people think; and
be reluctant to take on new or challenging tasks.
Impact of self-esteem in the workplace
People with high self-esteem tend to experience:
higher motivation and job satisfaction;
better performance; and
reduced stress and burnout levels.
Ironically, many people with low self-esteem can also be high achievers at work. But this can often come at a cost, as it can lead to high levels of stress.
Top Tips to Boost Your Self-Esteem
Practise positive thinking
Negativity is the enemy of self-esteem. Try to challenge and reframe negative thoughts. For example, think: ‘This project is really demanding, but it’s great experience’ rather than: ‘I’m out of my depth. What if it all goes wrong?’
Strike a healthy work-life balance
Feeling stressed can take its toll. Have regular breaks at work, take your holiday allocation, and try to minimise the overtime that you do. A healthy diet, sleep and regular exercise are important for your self-image too.
Set yourself a challenge
Step outside your comfort zone and try something different or new. It doesn’t have to be a big challenge, or even work related. If you can break it down into smaller steps, even better. It’s OK to feel nervous - it’s a natural part of the learning process.
Stop comparing yourself to others
Nobody’s perfect. And that includes your friends and colleagues, whatever they or their social media updates say. Work out what matters most in life to you, and focus your expectations, efforts and energy on that.
Reference: Kendra Cherry, ‘What is Self-Esteem?’. Available at: http://psychology.about.com/od/sindex/f/what-is-self-esteem.htm.
Jonathon D Brown and Margaret A Marshall, ‘The Three Faces of Self-Esteem’, University of Washington (2006). Available at: http://faculty.washington.edu/jdb/448/448articles/kernis.pdf.
John Grohol, ‘6 Tips to Improve Your Self Esteem’. Available at: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/10/30/6-tips-to-improve-your-self-esteem/.
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