Telling yourself that you’re a good person may not seem like a big deal, but actually, it just may be. I read in a self-esteem handbook that one way to boost your self-esteem is to, every day, write three things about yourself that you wouldn’t change. I decided to give this a try since some days, I don’t feel good enough or loved enough. I decided to give myself some self-love.
I started doing this a week ago. This was a great way to cope when many people were talking about their GPAs, internships and their other accomplishments, and I felt like I wasn’t good enough.
Some things I wrote about myself throughout this past week were that I wouldn’t change my kind attitude towards people, my organizational skills and my passion for math. Writing these things down actually led me to think a little deeper about these qualities in myself and appreciate myself as a person; not in a narcissistic way, but in a way that reaffirmed that yes, I am a person that matters, and I shouldn’t stress about not being good enough.
I continued to do this for the next few days, writing different qualities about myself each day. Every day, I realized I felt more positive and better about myself. I found that writing these qualities and reflecting about yourself is a good way to boost your self-esteem. I noticed an improvement in my emotions. I felt like I was smiling more throughout the day. I also felt like my interactions with people throughout the day were friendlier.
There are many ways to practice self-care, such as indulging in products, but writing three things about yourself every day for as long as you wish is definitely a nice way to admire yourself and realize that you are a special person.
I will continue to do this when I am feeling down or depressed. It is an effective way to keep your mood in check and realize that you are a special person.
I also realized that I felt more confident in my classes. I felt like I was focusing better in school. Setting aside time to reflect on my best qualities made me feel better as a person, especially if there were things going on in my life that I felt were lowering my self-esteem, such as not getting accepted into an organization that I wanted to be a part of.
Reflecting on your strengths is one way to realize you’re a special person. Between stressing for classes and maintaining good grades, it is a great way to realize that those factors do not define you. I’ve come a long way from realizing that my grades do not define me after a few rough semesters at UF where my grades weren’t as high as they could have been.
Just taking five minutes — or even less — out of your day for a little self-reflection can go a long way.