How and Why to Enhance Your Self Esteem for Stress Relief and Personal Happiness

Enhance Your Self Esteem for Stress Relief and Personal Happiness

The way you feel about yourself, your self esteem, impacts your happiness level, and also can make life more or less stressful for you. For example, if you trust your ability to handle what comes, you will be more likely to see difficult situations as a challenge instead of as a threat; conversely, if you don’t trust your own ability to handle things, you will be more likely to see new situations as threatening and stress-provoking.

One thing that has a major influence on a person’s self esteem is their ‘self talk’, the way they talk to themselves, interpret things, and comment on life inside their heads. A thinking style that is habitually negative can perpetuate a negative view of one’s life and self, as well as cause other problems. The following resources can help you to better understand your self talk and alter it to a more positive way of thinking, helping you to see yourself and the world in a more positive way.

• Quiz: Are You An Optimist?: Your thoughts color your world and your perception of yourself. Learn how positive or negative yours are!

• Negative Self Talk and Stress: Self talk is the internal dialogue we use to view the world, expain situations and communicate to ourselves, and the type of self talk you use--negative self talk or positive self talk--can affect the level of stress you experience. Learn why, and find resources for change.

• Positive Self Talk: Negative self talk can limit you, increase your stress level, and adversely affect your self concept. Here are some ways you can stop negative self talk from damaging you, and reduce stress and improve your life by developing the habit of positive self talk.