Self-esteem might help with happiness, but is self-esteem the key to happiness? In answering this question, let’s look at the similarities between self-esteem and happiness. Both depend on your thoughts, both come from inside of yourself and they often go hand in hand. For example unhappiness or depression can trigger self-esteem issues and vice versa. Neither self-esteem nor happiness depend on externals such as money, status, possessions or other people. You can be happy or have healthy self-esteem regardless of these. Self-esteem and happiness nurture each other, therefore, building self-esteem can help you to become happier.

Faking confidence when you’re not confident helps to build self-esteem. There’s a lot of truth to the saying "fake it ’til you make it." Faking confidence does not mean being a phoney, being overly confident or being arrogant. However, it does mean learning to be confident in a healthy way. By faking confidence you can learn how to become more confident and also build self-esteem. 

You can use journal prompts to improve self-esteem and get to know yourself on a deeper level. When you journal, you tap into different states of mind that help you become clearer about your desires and the person you want to become. The more often you journal to improve self-esteem, the better your relationship with yourself will be. 

It's important to keep calm when others put you down and that means staying level headed and reacting in a healthy way. Being put down by others can trigger self-esteem issues and cause emotional distress, if you allow it. The reality is that there will be people who put you down. Most people experience put downs at some point; and these can come from anyone including family members, peers, bullies or even strangers. The good news is that you can learn to keep calm and cope better when others put you down.

If you use dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills to communicate with confidence you will notice incredible changes. Who doesn't want to feel more in control and confident before entering a conversation, especially if there is some tension between you and the other person? This new DBT skill is one of the best skills I've come across to help you confident before you say a word. The video will help you use DBT skills to communicate with confidence.

It's important to stop negatively judging yourself to increase self-esteem. Many people are afraid of being judged negatively by others, however, they overlook the negative judgement coming from themselves. Negative self-judgement is damaging emotionally and it leads to all sorts of problems. As well as damaging your self-esteem it can be associated with anxiety or depression. It may prevent you from doing things you want, and it can isolate you from people. However, you can lead a more fulfilling life and increase your self-esteem when you stop judging yourself negatively.

Assertive people have higher self-esteem. Do you know how to be assertive? This quick post will tell you how and boost your self-esteem.

It’s easy to believe you don’t fit in, when you have low self-esteem. Perhaps you feel different to everyone else and think you have to be exactly like others to fit in. You might overemphasise your weaknesses, compare yourself to others or expect too much from yourself. Perhaps you were rejected, criticised or bullied in the past or you may feel pressured to be like others. Alternatively, there may be something different that makes you stand out, or you're new and have trouble settling in. The chances are that your thoughts about yourself are negative. No matter what, it’s important to realise that you do belong, just like everyone else. You can improve your self-esteem when you stop believing you don’t fit in.

It can be hard to get through a crisis with your self-esteem intact. Whether it be a major meltdown or a mini crisis,  learning how to get through a crisis can improve your self-esteem.

Singing is a powerful way to boost your self-esteem. It doesn’t matter how good or talented you are, the process of singing has a range of benefits. As well as helping to boost self-esteem, singing has many benefits to other areas of your life. As someone who experienced low self-esteem for a long time, singing has, personally, made a huge difference to my life. The benefits are enormous and you, too, can use singing to boost your self-esteem.