Building Self-Worth:
Strategies for Strengthening Your Sense of Self
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Self-worth is one of the most fundamental aspects of our mental health, though it can initially seem abstract. Self-Worth is the way we see ourselves, our abilities, and our potential. When we have high self-worth, we feel good about ourselves and our place in the world. We are confident in our ability to handle challenges, achieve our goals, and we believe in ourselves. Those with high self-worth believe that they matter, and their experiences matter.
On the other hand, when we have low self-worth, we feel negatively about ourselves, our abilities, and our potential. Those with low self-worth believe they are not valuable, and they do not matter. We may be constantly comparing ourselves to others and we may feel like we are not good enough. This can lead to a variety of problems, including stress, anxiety, depression, and low motivation.
Since beginning my journey to grow my self-worth when I was 13, I have learned what a large impact negative self-worth can have. But, I’ve also grown my self worth immensely, and learned tangible tools for growing and sustaining a positive relationship with myself. I now teach those tools to others in therapy, coaching, training, speaking, and our work at Recess. Every single client I have worked with throughout my career has benefited from improving their self worth. I cannot possibly overstate the importance of self-worth in building a fulfilling life.
Don’t just take it from me: there is a large body of research that shows that self-worth has a major impact on many facets of our lives, including our health, our relationships, our productivity, and our overall well-being. When we have high self-worth, we are more likely to make healthy choices, to have strong relationships, and to experience a sense of purpose in life. All of these factors can contribute to increased productivity.
Productivity is defined as the ability to take the steps necessary to reach our goals. Traditionally, we think of that at work, but it's also true of anything in our lives we want to create, including health, relationships, and other goals. There are a variety of studies that link the importance of self worth and productivity:
These studies show that there is a clear link between self-worth and productivity. Employees with high self-esteem are more likely to be engaged in their work, to take on challenges, and to persevere in the face of setbacks. They are also less likely to experience stress, which can lead to decreased productivity.
Growing up with ADHD and Anxiety, increasing my productivity and focus was a constant struggle. While medication and certain skills were helpful, my eventual journey to grow my self-worth made a huge impact. While many of my clients seek tangible solutions to increase productivity, I often direct them towards working on their worth, and they see the improvement following. I wouldn’t be as successful in my businesses were it not for this essential work.
Recess is focused on helping individuals to increase their ability to attain their goals and create a fulfilling life. For that reason, we focus on productivity and self-worth as two of our four key foundations. Recess’ Flow Sessions can be used to improve both our productivity and self-worth, helping us to build better lives.
If we are looking to improve our productivity, one of the best things we can do is to focus on building our self-worth. There are many ways to improve our self-worth, such as identifying our strengths and accomplishments, setting realistic goals, and taking care of ourselves physically and emotionally. By taking steps to improve our self-worth, we can boost our productivity and achieve our goals.
The good news is that self-worth is something that can be improved with consistent effort, the right tools, and time. There are a number of things we can do to build our self-worth and strengthen our sense of self.
Here are some tangible actions you can take to improve your self-worth:
What are you good at? What have you achieved in your life? Make a list of your strengths and accomplishments and review it regularly. This will help you to focus on your positive qualities and to see yourself in a more positive light.
When you achieve your goals, it will boost your self-confidence and self-esteem. Set goals that are challenging but achievable, and celebrate your successes along the way.
his means eating healthy, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep. When you take care of your physical health, you will also be taking care of your mental health.
The people you spend time with can have a big impact on your self-worth. Surround yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself and who support your goals. People with higher self worth will tend to boost yours and encourage you as well.
Be kind to yourself, just as you would be kind to a friend. Forgive yourself for your mistakes and learn from them.
When you have negative thoughts about yourself, challenge them. Ask yourself if they are really true and if they are helpful. Replace negative thoughts with positive and compassionate ones.
If you’re having difficulty growing your self-worth, enlist help from a therapist or coach that is skilled in self-worth. In my daily work with my clients, I have seen their lives transform tremendously through improving their self-worth, especially when they are able to implement somatic interventions.
At Recess, we believe that while some of the previous tips are helpful, if we aren’t addressing the biological and psychological causes of low self worth together, we may not be as effective. If we can address these underlying factors decreasing our self worth, we can grow our self-worth more rapidly and sustainably.
To do that, we turn to somatic psychological solutions. Somatic tools are techniques that focus on the body and the mind, especially on physical and emotional aspects. They can be helpful for improving self-worth because they help us to connect with ourselves and to release negative emotions.
In my own journey, after I had built a successful therapy practice, I continued to struggle with stress, anxiety, and irritability, even though I had implemented skills to increase my self-worth. Once I returned to therapy and began implementing somatic practices, which I now use with my clients and through Recess, not only did my life improve tremendously, but so did the lives of my clients.
This involves using alternating stimuli, such as tapping on the sides of your body, listening to music with alternating beats, or utilizing the Recess app to help you to relax and to access your subconscious mind to improve the deeper aspects of your self-worth.
These exercises help you to become more aware of your body and to connect with your emotions. Some examples of body awareness exercises include progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, and tai chi. Many people will notice that when they are feeling bad about themselves, there are corresponding areas of their body that are affected. By giving compassionate attention to these areas of the body, we can improve our self-worth and release trapped patterns of guilt, shame, and not-enoughness.
This involves focusing your attention on the present moment and on your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Mindfulness meditation can help you to become more aware of your negative thoughts and to challenge them. Instead of trying to rid your mind of thoughts, mindfully and compassionately notice the thoughts, feelings and physical sensations that arise. You can specifically focus on your self-worth, or moments where you felt negative about yourself, to provide an opportunity for your mind and your body to heal and grow your self-worth.
We understand these somatic interventions may seem difficult to adopt and implement. That’s why one of the four main goals of Recess is to help people grow their sense of Potential and Self-Worth. When a user downloads the app, they can choose the Potential Recess Flow Session to help guide their mind and body to grow feelings of capability and self-worth with consistent use of just 10 minutes a day.
Building self-worth takes time and effort, but it is “worth” it. When we have high self-worth, we will feel better about ourselves and our lives. We feel more confident and more resilient. We are also more likely to achieve our goals and to live a fulfilling life. Research shows increased self-worth leads to better health, relationships, and increased productivity at work and home.
If you are struggling with low self-worth, Recess is a great tool for helping you to grow your sense of capability. Not only that, but it can also help you reach Flow State and increase your productivity and ability to reach your goals.
