What is self confidence?
What is Self-Esteem?
Self-esteem could be said as “how much do I like myself’, how you appreciate you and appreciate yourself, your qualities, skills, and what you’ve accomplished. Like body image, self-esteem can also be based on how you think other people look at you as a person. People who have low self-esteem may not always feel confident about themselves or how they look. It can often be hard for them to see that they are an important and beautiful and capable person. People with positive self-esteem can often have a confident attitude about their body and themselves and can recognize their strengths as well as their worth.
What is Body Image?
Body image, what is it? Its your thoughts and feelings about the way your body looks and how your feel. Low or poor body image arises from negative thoughts and feelings about your yourself and or your appearance. A healthy body image comes about from thoughts and feelings that are positive towards you and your body. Body image is a major part of positive self-esteem and confidence.
Why is self-esteem important?
Self-esteem is important for everyone because it helps you to keep a positive outlook on life and makes you feel proud of the person you are, both inside and out, it also gives you get up and go to accomplish what is you want to achieve. This can support you to have better relationships with peers and adults, and you may find it easier to deal with mistakes or disappointments.
Self-esteem gives you the:
Courage - to try new things
Power - to believe in yourself
Confidence - to make healthy choices for your mind and body now and throughout your life
Ways that have helped me to lift my self esteem are:
Changing my mindset. When my daughter dropped her day sleeps years ago i found myself getting really frustrated with the fact she wouldn’t sleep when she was supost to, i really needed to her to sleep! However, she was getting frustrated with my constant trying and I was getting frustrated with her not sleeping. So i stopped and took a look at things, i had to change my stubborn mindset that i had. I changed my mindset to tell myself it was ok she didn’t want to sleep any more, she obviously didn’t need it. And strangely enough, we both became happy again.
However, by changing your mindset of, “I'm so ugly or I’m so fat or I’m so useless or i cant do that” change it up to “I’m unique in my own way and i am who i am, I’m not happy with my weight but i am working towards accepting it – or working on loosing my extra weight, i want to learn new things to move forward in this area so i CAN do it, I CAN and I WILL DO IT.
By repeating positive affirmations and or sayings or quotes to yourself, you start to believe it, if you say it often enough to yourself.
Another thing that I have learnt, grab a white board marker or window pen and write on your mirror in your bedroom or bathroom, 5 affirmations. So that every time you look in the mirror you will see them, read them over and over to yourself. Every morning and night before bed. This is also a good thing to practice with your children too. IT WORKS TRUST ME, i have done it!!
Start with -
I AM WORTHY
I AM ENOUGH
YOU’VE GOT THIS
I AM PRETTY
I CAN DO IT
And change them up when you start to believe or when you feel like there is something more valuable for you to read. There are no rules with it accept, read them every day as often as you can!
Anther thing you can try is, make your screen saver on your phone or computer/laptop with positive aspirations and positive quotes, i did this.
Take care of you, do things for you, you are worth it, and allowed to do things for yourself. We do so much for everyone else and always put ourselves last. Many of my clients have paid their shoots off, because it is something they have wanted to do for themselves, they wanted it bad, so they made it happen for themselves, big ups to them, they took that step forward and did it.
Change the people you hang with if you need to. If people are not accepting of who you are in a positive way, then you need to consider taking a step back. Spend time with people that uplift you, support you for you, for who you are, surround yourself with positivity.
Don’t try and be someone that your not, it puts stress on yourself to please others, just be you and comfortable doing it with out the pressures.
Recognise your indifference's, they are your positives, who wants to be just like everyone else, that’s boring right? Be your unique self.
Your body is forever changing, love it with all that it is. If your not happy with it, stop letting that run your life, change it, put the effort into changing it if that is what you want, take one step a day to work on yourself. But be happy with you, we only have this life once.
Do a photo-shoot, hehe.
Seriously though, this can really give yourself a confidence boost. Choose the right photographer though, they need to know what they are doing, because if they put you in a pose that will not flatter you it can instantly send your self esteem downwards. They might be cheap, but why are they cheap, ask yourself that question.
Search their name and business name, check their work, do they produce work that matches what your after, does their personality suit yours, do they have a personal touch, or is it just all forms and words. Theirs lots to consider, but a shoot can be empowering, I have seen it in teens and adults, some have put me in tears with their feedback about how much their life has changed after doing a photo shoot. Think about it, you have an image that you love, that can be used as a daily reminder that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, AND ENOUGH, AND ARE WORTHY OF ANYTHING THAT YOU WISH.
If you want to discuss a shoot idea with me, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me so we can get you on the road to building yourself esteem and confidence!!
These Photos are of teen and an Adult shoot, Glamour teen and a Boudoir, their shoots have lifted their self esteem, and look at the smiles they gave me during their shoots!
