May is Teen Self Esteem Month

Adolescence is a time of significant physical, emotional, and social change, and a positive sense of self can help teenagers navigate these changes with greater resilience and confidence.

Teens with high self-esteem tend to have better mental health, are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, and have better relationships with their peers and family members. They are also more likely to set and achieve their goals and have the self-motivation and self-reliance to build the lives they want. On the other hand, teens with low self-esteem may struggle with depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues, and may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors like substance abuse, self-harm, or bullying. They may also have difficulty forming healthy relationships and struggle to reach their full potential in school or other areas of life. Therefore, it is important for parents and other adults in teenagers’ lives to support and encourage teens to build and maintain healthy self-esteem.

There are several ways that teenagers can work on building and maintaining healthy self-esteem:

• Practice self-care: Encourage teenagers to take care of their physical, emotional, and mental well-being by eating well, getting enough sleep, and engaging in activities that they enjoy.
• Set and achieve goals: Encourage teenagers to set realistic and achievable goals for themselves, and help them to develop the skills and strategies needed to achieve them.
• Learn to recognize and challenge negative thoughts: Help teens to recognize negative thoughts and self-talk that can lower their self-esteem, and teach them strategies for challenging and reframing these thoughts in a more positive light.
• Surround themselves with positive people: Encourage teens to surround themselves with friends and family members who support and encourage them, and to distance themselves from negative or toxic people.
• Learn to accept and learn from failures: Failure is a part of life, and it’s important for teens to learn that it’s okay to make mistakes and that they can learn from them. Encourage teens to look at failure as an opportunity to grow and learn.
• Volunteer or participate in community service: Helping others can be a powerful way to boost self-esteem and build a sense of purpose and self-worth.
• Develop self-compassion: Encourage teens to be kind and understanding towards themselves, and to understand that everyone makes mistakes and has flaws.

It’s important to note that building self-esteem is a process that takes time and effort. It’s also important to understand that self-esteem can fluctuate, and that it’s normal for it to be affected by different events in life.