There has been much research into the field of happiness since it is close connected to perceived wellbeing. Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky, a renowned researcher within the field of happiness, claims that 40% of happiness can be influenced by the mind of a person! Her main points are to include more of the following dimensions in…
We need both self-confidence and self-esteem since they are interrelated. Self-confidence, how we feel about our abilities, is possible to influence by doing activities that we like and where it is possible to measure progress in feelings/appraisal, concrete milestones etc. Having a habit of trying new things and practice being non-judgmental, supportive when learning are…
There are many different parts of the self, all influencing our wellbeing. Here comes an attempt to explain the subtle differences behind important self-concepts, where even the researchers still do not agree: Self-confidence, our trust in our ability to perform certain activities, tasks etc. leading to abilities or achievements and self-esteem, a multidimensional concept including…
Another way of reconnecting to yourself and find your inner motivation and drive is adding activities that you miss or are interested in. Our own stories about ourselves are a part of self-esteem/self-worth. These stories are partly constructed by what we cherish and do with our time. Research has shown that when you validate yourself,…
Another important part of self-esteem is to get to know yourself. Through writing a daily journal you can get objectivity and therefore is one way of acknowledging what is working and what your already are doing to get closer to who you are and where you want to be. One way of accomplishing this is…
How you talk to yourself is extremely important. Often we are not aware of this, but it is common to have a critical inner voice evaluating ourselves harshly and disproportionately in situations, being overgeneralizing in a judgmental and destructive way: “how stupid of me…” “Can’t you do anything right…” “Are you for real…” “Idiot…” Definitely…
Another extremely important exercise to improve your self-worth and self-esteem is reading aloud your list of your 10 positive traits (see last week’s exercise) to yourself. In therapy, there are important healing phenomena such as mirroring and validation, when one is feeling understood and seen, e.g. by regard and affirmations from another human being. You…
Before diving into the possible changes you would like to make and new directions you would like to explore, I suggest you reflect over and honour yourself for what you already have accomplished over the last period and who you have become during the last year or two since this will set a positive tone….
Research has shown that positive self-affirmations – if not too unrealistic – actually work, reducing negative effects of stress and improving performance! So try to find at least 10 positive traits that describe you. For many this is surprisingly difficult, 3 is normal to be able to come up with. If difficult, you can try…