Being a teenager is hard. Everything and everyone, at times, seems to be against you, and they seem better than anything you can be. But with a little effort, you can feel better. You will need to have self-confidence in order to move forward.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Create Reasons to Be Proud of
Step 1. Focus on experiences, not appearances
Being stuck with appearances is not good for anyone's self-esteem. Our physical appearance changes quickly, it can be negatively affected by many things, and definitions of beauty vary from person to person. Choose something more stable to be proud of: experience and accomplishments, things no one can take away from you.
Step 2. Provide opportunities for your accomplishments
Do things in your life that you're proud of. That's good advice for people of any age. If you know someone who seems to do whatever you feel like doing, do those things too. There are many different things to do, so choose something you think is important. In this way, you will be able to increase your self-esteem.
- Learn to play an instrument. Choose one you've always wanted to play and learn. You will have a very good feeling of accomplishment and happiness. You will need time and effort, but you can easily find a course in your neighborhood or school.
- Travel. Travel the world and discover the things you find interesting. This doesn't have to be expensive. You can save by staying in hostels, traveling by bus or hitchhiking, or even escaping from high airfare prices. There are many amazing things to see closer than you might think or for free. Traveling will not only give you more stories to tell, it will also increase your confidence.
- Learn an art or a sport. Deciding what to learn will depend on you, whether you are a more physical or mental person. However, both take time and a lot of practice. You can attend classes, but you will learn more when you do, especially if you do it with other people. Playing sports or doing some art work will be a great opportunity to meet new people and interact with them, as doing these activities in a group is much more fun than doing it alone.
- Dedicate yourself to school. Get better grades and take extra lessons. You will feel good, but it will also help in your life. You will have better opportunities to earn money and will have jobs that you will be much more satisfied with if you pursue studies and attend university.
Step 3. Have responsibilities
This is a great way to gain more self-esteem and confidence. By doing important things, you can ensure that you are a capable person and also prove to yourself that you have a positive role in the world.
- Get a job. Getting a job will not only help you earn money to go to college or buy anything you want, it will also be something you will be proud of. Think about getting a job that helps others, such as an infirmary attendant or a packer. You will feel good about what you are doing.
- Volunteer to improve your self-esteem. You will need to do important things for other people, in addition to being able to work on your skills. You can work in a neighborhood kitchen, help build houses, or start a volunteer group to help with an issue that is important to you. This kind of experience will often help your resume a lot in the future.
- Help other students. Using your experience to help other teens or younger students will make you feel much better. You can help students at your school or at another school in need. So you will help those who need it most.
Method 2 of 4: Develop Your Individuality
Step 1. Don't live to please others
Your life is exactly that: your life. You must live and do things that make you happy, but you don't have to please everyone. They say that even Jesus didn't please everyone and that's true, don't expect or try to make everyone happy all the time. The best you can do is be happy and try to live up to what you believe is right and good.
And most importantly, you will develop your self-esteem when you stop trying to please the most popular and start trying to please yourself. If to please yourself you need to have lots of friends, do things so that people want to be friends with you, that is, do important things and be a nice person. Don't try to make friends by wearing certain clothes or getting into trouble. The people who are your friends for these reasons are not your real friends and will end up hurting you at the end of the story
Step 2. Develop your style
Be yourself. Instead of going with the majority and using all the famous brands, develop your own style. That way you will stand out and have more confidence. Make sure this style means something to you and that you feel it says something about you.
Step 3. Explore your passions
Find out who you are and what makes you happy by exploring things you like and find interesting. Do you think a sport is cool? Practice! Have you always wanted to learn to dance? Learn it! The only obstacle to not doing this is yourself.
Many schools have clubs so you can play new sports, games, artwork and other activities. Some neighborhoods also have groups that teens can join for a small fee
Step 4. Find people who understand you
The best way to deal with the most difficult aspects of life is to have great friends. They will remind you that you are fun and cool. To keep your self-esteem high, find friends who understand you and like you the way you are.
- Your best friends may like a lot of things you like and may have some common life goals. That way you will know that you are in tune and will be able to motivate each other with friendship. It's okay if your friends don't like everything you do, some differences are good and will help you open your minds to new possibilities.
- Don't be friends with people who let you down. A person who makes your life worse is not your real friend. If this person makes you feel bad or wants you to do bad things, don't be friends with them. Friends must bring out the best in us!
Step 5. Be assertive
Don't let people intimidate you. Don't give in to the wishes of the people around you. It's good to try and make people happy and it's not nice to just think about yourself, but you need to focus on yourself and be yourself. By being assertive and doing what is right for you, you will be doing good for your self-confidence and self-esteem.
When chatting with your friends or classmates, give your opinion. Order what you need. Say “no” when you want to say “no”. And most importantly, don't feel guilty when you do this
Method 3 of 4: Practice Self Respect
Step 1. Have good hygiene, this is very important to increase your self-esteem
When he starts to take care of you, he will continue to take care of you more and more. Wash your hair and skin regularly. Brush your teeth and your hair. Use deodorant. Wash your hands when you need to. You'll feel a lot better.
If you and your family can't buy all the hygiene items, there are several places you can get them for free, such as churches and some organizations in the neighborhood. If they don't, they'll know where you can get it
Step 2. Wear clean, nice clothes
Take care of your clothes. Wash them when they are dirty and iron them so they don't get wrinkled. Do not wear clothes with lots of holes. Try to remove any stains, and if you can't, donate those pieces. Wear clothes that fit and you, avoid too small or too big.
If you can't buy new clothes, you can get some that were donated at church or community centers. Cheaper stores can also be an option. If you're worried about not getting pretty clothes, look around other stores
Step 3. Sleep well
You are in a period of development and many teenagers suffer from too little sleep. You may think it's okay to get too little sleep, but this practice has serious impacts on your health. Scientists have found that sleeping hours are related to optimism and self-esteem. So if you want to improve your self-esteem, get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep every night.
Step 4. Exercise
Part of your well being depends on how much you exercise. Being overweight can make you sluggish, out of breath, or make you feel unwell. Exercise will help you have more energy and stay healthier.
Anything that increases your heart rate for at least ten minutes is exercise. You can run, do crunches, sit-ups or squats. Anything will work… don't give up
Step 5. Eat healthy
Eating healthy foods, as well as exercising, will make you feel better. If you eat too much junk food, you will get fat, have no energy and won't feel well. Feeling better, you will like yourself more.
Method 4 of 4: Escape Negativity
Step 1. Avoid negative people
Don't spend your time with someone who is negative all the time. Then you will feel bad about yourself and everyone else. Spend your time with people who know that sometimes life is complicated and people make mistakes, but that life is much more than that and should be enjoyed. We must not have a standard that we will never be able to meet.
- If you have a very negative close friend, try to help them change. If he continues like this, try to spend less time with him. It's hard, but being around negative people isn't healthy and won't help you in your life.
- If you find yourself acting like this: stop. You shouldn't be like that. If you're having problems in your life, you're going through negative things, change that. Don't complain and don't focus on the bad stuff. Make them good!
Step 2. Focus on your accomplishments, not your failures
Don't spend your time thinking about regrets and all the times you've done something wrong or failed. Learn from these mistakes and move on. Instead of focusing on the things you did wrong, remember everything that went right. This way, you will remember that you can do many things perfectly and can get great results when you try.
Make a list of the things you are most proud of. Stick it on your bedroom wall and look at it every day. This will motivate you to do good things and make the list longer and longer. See if you can make it reach the ground or make it bigger than you
Step 3. Run away from the idea of perfection
They say that no one is perfect and that is absolutely true. Nobody is perfect. Nothing is perfect. Perfection is not a real thing. That means you must stop trying to be perfect. If you try, you will always be disappointed. It's good to fight for something, but you shouldn't fight for perfection. Think about where you are and try to take the next step. Try to get an 8 on the next test before trying a 10. You might be surprised and do more than you thought you could!
Step 4. Practice self-assertion
Tell yourself every day that you are a good person. You have something to offer the world. You can do things no one else can. You can handle any challenges that come up. You can be better and happier. You will love other people and you will love yourself. You will always do your best. All of this will be true if you will. You just have to want it. Remember this every day and you will feel better about yourself and your abilities.