+Steve's mind wanders as he does his homework. "I'm never going to do well on this history test," he thinks. "My dad's right— I'll never amount to much." Distracted, he looks down and thinks how skinny his legs are. "Ugh," he says to himself. "I bet those kids at lunch won't even let me sit with them when they see what a wimp I am."

+“Julio is studying for the same history test as Steve, and he's also not too fond of the subject. But that's where the similarity ends. Julio has a completely different outlook. He's more likely to think, "OK, history again, what a pain. Thank goodness I'm acing the subject I really love — math." And when Julio thinks about the way he looks, it's also a lot more positive. Although he is shorter and skinnier than Steve, Julio is less likely to blame or criticize his body and more likely to think, "I may be skinny, but I can really run. I'd be a good addition to the football team."

+

CAN I IMPROVE IT?What is it?

Self-Estee

m

+

WHO AM I?HOW DO I LOOK?WHAT AM I GOOD AT?WHAT are MY WEAKNESS AND STRENGTHS?

MENTAL PICTURE

+

We develop this picture over time, starting when we're very young kids.

+SELF-IMAGE

The term self-image is used to refer to a person's mental picture of himself or herself.

A lot of our self-image is based on interactions we have with other people and our life experiences.

This mental picture (our self-image) contributes to our self-esteem.

+Interactions with others

Positive interactions Negative interactions

+

Feel good about themselves

Appreciate themselves

Proud of themselves

Feel no one likes them or accepts them

Feel they can’t do well in anything

? ?

+

Feel good about themselves

Appreciate themselves

Proud of themselves

Feel no one likes them or accepts them

Feel they can’t do well in anything

Healthy Self-esteem Low Self-esteem

+

Self-esteem is all about how much, we feel valued, loved accepted, and thought well of by others — and how much we value, love, and accept ourselves.

+

Why Is Self-Esteem Important?

How we feel about ourselves can influence how we live our lives.

People who feel that they are likable and lovable (in other words people with good self-esteem) have better relationships.

They're more likely to ask for help and support from friends and family when they need it.

People who believe they can accomplish goals and solve problems are more likely to do well in school.

+ Having good self-esteem allows you to accept yourself and live life to the

fullest.

Steps to Improving Self-Esteem Try to stop

thinking negative thoughts about yourself.

View mistakes as learning opportunities.

Aim for accomplishments rather than perfection.

Recognize what you can change and what you can't.

+

Take pride in your opinions and ideas.

Set goals.

Make a contribution.

+Make a contribution.

play a part in

be instrumental in

be a factor in

have a hand in

be conducive to

make for

lead to

+Exercise!

Self-esteem plays a role in almost everything you do.

Have fun.

+Try to stop thinking negative thoughts about yourself.

+Aim for accomplishments rather than perfection.

+View mistakes as learning opportunities.

+Recognize what you can change and what you can't.

+Set goals.

+Take pride in your opinions and ideas.