HOW TO ENHANCE SELF-ESTEEM?
Author: Bindu.Bharathi, MSN, RN, RM, Lecturer, Faculty of Nursing, Northern Border University, Saudi Arabia.

1. INTRODUCTION
Self esteem is essentially one's overall sense of self-competence and self worth. High self esteem makes one's personality and abilities. It empowers individuals to optimize their potential and to attain desired goals. Self esteem is an ongoing evaluation of an individual.

2. DEFINITION
Self esteem can be broadly defined as the overall evaluation of oneself in either a positive or negative way.
According to H.S. Sullivan self esteem is all of those feelings of competence and personal worth that hold a person together.

3. COMPONENTS OF SELF ESTEEM

Self- competence: - It is a generalized sense of one's own efficacy or ability to deal
effectively with life's changes and to attain challenging goals.
Self- worth: - It is essentially accepting yourself unconditionally and having the feeling of being worthy of living and attaining happiness.

Self- competence and self- worth makes a person feel good about him or herself.

4. CHARACTERISTICS OF SELF- ESTEEM
Self- esteem is an evaluative phenomenon. It can include by the way one act- the way one walks, speaks or behaves. It is influenced by external and internal factors. Self- esteem is multi- dimensional i.e. Physical appearance, task performance, and interpersonal relations. It is otherwise called as Global self-esteem. It is a scale or continuum, i.e. ranging from the very negative to very positive or from low level to high level of self esteem. It can be learned and enhanced over a period of time.


5. IMPORTANCE OF SELF ESTEEM
Self- esteem is the key to success. If the person is having good self esteem, they are having productive behavior, best work performance, highly confident, ready to take challenging goals, having leadership skills, good interpersonal relationships and also they are maintaining psychological well being.

6. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGH SELF-ESTEEM

Worthy of living, self - confident, accept themselves unconditionally, seek continuous self- improvement, have peace within themselves, enjoy good interpersonal relationships, assume responsibility for their own lives, tolerate frustrations well, assertive, outgoing, willing to take calculated risks, loving and lovable, self- directed these are the characteristics of self esteemed person.

7. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIVIDUALS WITH LOW SELF- ESTEEM:

There are certain characteristics present in the low self esteemed person i.e. poor risk takers, afraid of competition or challenges, sarcastic, non- assertive, lack initiative, pessimistic, shy, indecisive, lack of self- acceptance, feel unlovable, blame others for their shortcomings, low aspirations.

8. FACTORS INFLUENCING SELF- ESTEEM
Family Environment, task proficiency and accomplishments, personal aspirations, self beliefs, academic achievements, physical appearance, feed back from other people are the factors which will influencing the development of self esteem.

9. HOW TO ENHANCE SELF- ESTEEM
High self- esteem, success and happiness are our birth right. Unfortunately many of us suffer from habitual feelings of self doubt, self- inadequacy and self- criticism. We are guilty of cheating ourselves of leading a more productive and happier life by succumbing to self- sabotaging behavior and consequently, not exploiting our full potential.

Model of Enhancing self- esteem, this will guide you towards re-engineering yourself
i.e. becoming the "New You" who is worthy of living and confident of coping with the basic
challenges in life. You can enhance your self - esteem by developing a positive self- image
and adopting new patterns of behavior.

1. Self-Image means your mental picture of yourself
2. Self- Awareness throws light on your existing beliefs and behavior.
3. Self- Acceptance is essentially respecting or loving you while acknowledging your shortcomings or limitations.
4. Taking charge of your life or Self- responsibility means taking responsibility for your life and actions.
5. Managing Yourself Successfully, it includes managing time successfully, practicing self discipline, maintaining perseverance and managing stress successfully.
6. Practicing Self- Renewal is necessary to sustain your efforts towards continuous self-improvement which helps to maintain or strengthen your level of self- esteem.

• Discover your true self.
• Make a list of what you like about yourself.
• Do not compare yourself negatively with others.
• Reengineer yourself.
• Accept 100% responsibility for your life and make a firm decision to change for the better.
• Lead a balanced life and seek continuous self-improvement
• Review progress towards attainment of your goals and take the necessary corrective action.
• Let go of your negative past and look to the future.
• Let go of perfectionism; no one is perfect
• Wake up happy


10. RATING YOUR OWN SELF- ESTEEM

Directions: Read through each of the following statements. Put a 'T' for TRUE in the space provided if a statement is generally true for you. Leave the space blank if it is not true. Be
honest in your responses.
1. I love myself
2. I tend not to worry about what the future holds
3. I can visualize myself doing well in my job/ career
4. I do ask questions when I am confused
5. I do not find fault with other people
6. I recover quickly from setbacks
7. I can admit my mistakes.
8. I get along well with others.
9. I feel comfortable in receiving and giving compliments.
10. I do not brag about myself.
11. I can be alone and not feel isolated.
12. I can make up my mind and stick to it.
13. I am eager to express opinions
14. I welcome constructive criticism.
15. I feel good about the achievements of others.
16. I am at ease with strangers
17. I do what I think is right even if others don't approve of it.
18. I am willing to take calculated risks.
19. I can express my true feelings.
20. I can tell others about my strengths or weakness.

Note: If 16 or more of your answers are TRUE, you have high self- esteem.


11. CONCLUSION

This article helps you to boost up your self esteem, which is the key to success in all areas of your life. Regardless of your experiences or age, you can enhance your self-esteem. It is essential for your professional and personal development.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Branden, Nathaniel. (1994) The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem. New York: Bantam.

2. Ranjit Singh Malhi. (2007) Enhancing Self- Esteem Reengineering Yourself for Success in the New Millennium. Self -Esteem Seminars, Malaysia.

3. Ranjit Singh Malhi. (2006) Enhancing Personal Quality, Empowering Yourself to Attain Peak Performance at Work. International Best Seller, Malaysia.

4. Wells, Joel. (1989) Who Do You Think You Are ? How to Build Self- Esteem. Chicago, Illinois: The Thomas More Press.

About Author / Additional Info:
Iam Bindu.Bharathi, MSN, RN, RM, Lecturer, Faculty of Nursing, Northern Border University, Saudi Arabia.In my credit International, National and State level publications of Scientific Research Articles. Iam the resource person person for National and International conferences.