Get a great start on how to build self esteem by making a list of what you're good at.

How to build self esteem

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How to build self esteem

To answer your question of how to build self esteem, then self-esteem is basically how you feel about yourself. Do you think you’re a good person? That you do enough for the people around you? That you’re a good mom and a good wife/girlfriend? These are questions that a therapist or other professional would ask you.

In the 1960s, sociologist Dr. Morris Rosenberg developed a now widely used simple but effective test to determine whether one has low, normal or high self-esteem. Check it out! Scores range from 0-30. 0-15 indicates low self-esteem, 15-25 is normal and scores above 25 signify high self-esteem. In case you scored too low for comfort, I’ve put together three simple tips on how to build self-esteem:

How to build self esteem: Make a list of strengths and weaknesses

Get a piece of paper and write a line down the middle. On the right you list your strengths and on the left you list your weaknesses. Try to come up with 10 in each category. I know, 10 seems an awful lot, especially if you sometimes think “I suck” or “I’m not good at anything”. Well, if you’re not good at anything then you’re at least good at being bad at everything. But anyway, that’s beside the point.

Try and think about what people have told you over the years. Maybe they have said something like “thanks for taking care of my baby boy this weekend” – this would indicate you have empathy and compassion for others, which is no doubt a strength. Or they may have said “This food is really good” – that means you’re a great chef. Perhaps your child smiles and cannot fall asleep when you read him/her a goodnight story – and that means you’re a good storyteller. So, think about what people have said to you or how they have reacted to your actions. Then you will most likely come up with more strengths than weaknesses.

Also, do not devalue the strengths you come up with by saying “oh, that? That was easy!”. It might have been easy for you, but difficult for others and that is exactly what makes it a strength for you. Just by being at this very page you’ve shown the willpower and tenacity to improve your situation. You’ve said to yourself “I’m gonna do something about it!” and that’s not something everyone in the world is able to do.

 

How to build self esteem: Stop caring what people might think

What I have found to personally work for me is to stop caring about what other people think about me and stop comparing myself to them. The ones with the highest self-esteem (at a healthy level) are the ones who don’t care that their neighbor has a bigger house, a greener lawn or a thinner body. Why? Because other things are more important to them, which takes up their focus. And for a good reason. A lot of Christians don’t care what other people think of them because they have enough in God or Jesus. A lot of moms don’t care about where they are in their career because they have enough in their kids. Devote your attention to those people or those areas that deserve it, and you’ll see how your self esteem will skyrocket. Because you realize that you’re now doing what actually matters in life. That’s a great start on how to build self esteem.

 

Stop comparing yourself to others

Lastly, it is important to not compare yourself to yourself. What does that mean? It means that as human beings, we change all the time, and that you might have been good at something once, but now you’re not. I used to be good at drawing, but now I suck. But it doesn’t matter because there are other things I have become good at since then. We change all the time and our strengths and weaknesses change along with us, so it is important to not expect to carry all your strengths with you throughout your entire life. We lose and gain strengths like we lose and gain weaknesses. Because we change.

 

What else you can do

I hope these tips helped you, and if you’re interested in increasing your confidence in a specific area, check out my other article on how to gain confidence. For more advanced stuff, I suggest checking out this app we made to boost self esteem and confidence… the scientific way.

Being pregnant affects the treatments of depression

Treatments for depression

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Treatments for depression

Overall, there are three different treatments for depression that are widely applied to sufferers. But you might wonder if your situation is different due to certain circumstances. So I have put together a list, explaining some common situations and how they affect depression and its treatment options.
 

Pregnancy

A Canadian study established that detecting depression as early as possible during pregnancy is critical, as an untreated depression during the entire pregnancy will most likely have cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences for child.[1] In addition to the common signs of depression, symptoms may include fear for the baby, fear of disturbing it and fear of being alone with it. Unless the depression is very severe, doctors do not recommend antidepressants as a treatment, as such unnatural drugs can affect the baby’s natural development. Rather, psychotherapy is the usual method to treat depression in pregnant women.[2]
 

Animals

Animals, especially social animals like dogs, can get depression just like humans can. Although they cannot verbally communicate their feelings, there are certain signs such as loss of interest in enjoyable activities, food and/or co-animals. Dogs may also exhibit stressful behavior when its owner is absent, and antidepressants is the go-to method for treating depression in dogs and other animals. In fact, antidepressants is a commonly prescribed drug for a variety of disorders in dogs.[3]

 

Age

Depression in the elderly is common although not normal, but it is more difficult to identify as the person in mind may assume that depression is just part of aging. Although retirement, the death of loved ones, increased isolation and medical problems is often associated with aging, the depressive thoughts these changes can cause are curable. Depressions in older people can be cured the same way as everyone else, but antidepressants is a risky treatment, as not only are seniors more vulnerable to side effects, antidepressants can also cause rapid bone loss and a higher risk of fracture after falling

 

Economy

People with limited financial means (poor people) are twice as likely to get depressed compared to those with a sufficient economy, a study from 2011 showed.[4] It found that 31% of Americans living under the international poverty line had been diagnosed with the disorder, compared to 15.8% of those living above it. Asthma and obesity is also more common, but the difference in depression is more striking.

 

Multiple sclerosis

Between 250,000 and 350,000 Americans have multiple sclerosis – a neurological disorder that ranks as one of the most common in the US.[5] Depression in MS patients is also very high, around 50%, a study found. [6] It is thus reasonable to assume that repeated sadness, loss of interest in pleasurable pastimes or other common symptoms of depression are part of, or due to, the MS condition, but is rather indicative of a separate case of depression. However, side effects of medication taken to treat multiple sclerosis may cause depression, or depression may itself be a side effect.[7]

 

Do you think your situation demands special consideration? Luckily, we have a range of different anti-depression apps. Check it out and see which one suits your situation the best!