Being a teenager is hard. Anything and anyone sometimes seems to be the opposite of you and better than anything you expect. But with a little hard work, you can feel your best when you do your best and continue to believe in yourself so that you can move forward in this life.
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Method 1 of 4: Make a Proud Excuse
Step 1. Focus on experience, not appearance
This is unhealthy for anyone whose self-esteem is rooted in their appearance. Our physical changes change rapidly, can be negatively affected by many things, and the definition of beauty varies from person to person. Choose something more stable to be proud of: experience and achievements that can't be stolen.
Step 2. Unlock opportunities for achievement
Do something you are proud of with your whole life. This is generally good advice for people of all ages. If you see someone who seems to be doing everything in life that you also want to do, do it. There are lots of different things to do, so choose something you find useful or important. This will go further than anything else to increase your self-esteem.
- Learn an instrument. Choose the instrument you want to master then learn how to play it. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and happiness. It takes time and effort, but music classes are easily available in your neighborhood, college, school, and through private tutoring.
- travel. Travel to different places in the world and see things that you find interesting. It doesn't have to be expensive. The money can be saved by using youth hostels, staying at local people's houses, traveling by train or car, or just watching and only buying plane tickets when there is a discount. Many amazing things to see are located not far from you and can be seen or experienced for free. The tours will give you confidence, as well as some stories to tell.
- Study visual arts or sports. Either of these will really depend on whether you are more of a physical or mental personality. However both take time and a lot of practice to learn. You can take classes but the best lessons are to do them, especially to do them with other people. Doing art or sports will provide a great way to interact with other people and meet new people, because doing these activities with other people is much more fun than doing it alone.
- Make academic achievements when you can. Get better grades, consider taking honors classes, and do your best in extracurriculars. This will make you feel good, but it will also help you later in life. You will have a better chance of earning money and will be able to land a much more satisfying job by working hard while in school and college.
Step 3. Be responsible
Taking responsibility is a great way to build self-esteem and confidence. In doing the things that matter, you will not only believe in yourself that you are capable but also have evidence that you have a positive impact on the world.
- Get a job. Getting a job will not only give you money for college or spent on something else you want, it will also give you something to be proud of. Try to get a job that helps other people, such as a clerk at a nursing home. This will make you feel better about what you are doing.
- Volunteer. Volunteering is a great way to boost your self-esteem. You will be doing things of value to others and you can often improve your own skills automatically while doing so. You can work in soup kitchens, build homes for the underprivileged, or start your own volunteer group based on issues that matter to you. Good experience is also assessed on college applications.
- Become a tutor or mentor other students. Using your life experiences to help other teens and younger students will make you feel better about yourself. You can help students through high school or middle school, or you can try to help out at a local school that is low-income or high-risk. This will let you help people who really need it.
Method 2 of 4: Developing Your Individuality
Step 1. Don't live to please others
Your life is: your life. You have to live your life and do the things you enjoy, not to please other people. There's a saying that you can't please everyone and it's true, so don't expect or try to make everyone happy all the time. The best you can do is make yourself happy and try to live according to what you believe is right and good.
Most importantly, you will develop the greatest self-satisfaction when you stop trying to please something called "popular" and start trying to please yourself. If pleasing yourself means you want to have lots of friends, then do the things that make other people want to be friends with you by doing great things and being a good person. Don't try to make friends by wearing the right clothes or getting into trouble. The person you spend time with for this reason is not your true friend and will only hurt you in the end one day
Step 2. Develop a sense of style
Be you, don't be someone else. Instead of walking in a crowd and wearing all the popular brands, develop a unique sense of style. This will make you stand out and give you confidence by giving it something to identify with. Make sure that this style is one that means something to you and that you will feel it communicates something about who you are as a person.
Style inspiration includes: 1920-1940 "dapper", 1980s "punk", Japanese clothing styles, or early 1990s "grunge". Any style or image that speaks to you is good
Step 3. Explore your passions
Find out who you are and what makes you happy by exploring things you care about or find interesting. Do you think “parkour” looks cool? Do it! Have you always wanted to learn how to dance? Do it! The only thing stopping you from pursuing the things you love is you.
Many high schools have clubs that will give you the opportunity to try new sports, games, arts and other activities. Your local college or university will also have a youth club that you may be able to participate in if they request and pay a small fee
Step 4. Find people who understand you
The best way to deal with the toughest aspects of life is to have good friends. Good friends will remind you how nice and kind you really are. To keep your self-esteem high, find friends who understand and like you under all circumstances.
- A good friend should like many of the same things as you and have some of the same goals in life. This will ensure that you connect on a deeper level and will help you motivate one another throughout your friendship. It's okay if your friends don't like all the same things you do, however. Some of the differences are good and will allow you to open your mind to new possibilities.
- Don't befriend people who will drag you down. Anyone who makes your life worse is not a true friend. If they make you feel bad about yourself or they want you to do bad things, then you shouldn't be friends with them. A friend should bring and support us to be the best, not the worst!
Step 5. Be assertive
Don't let the people around you tell you. Don't just give up and follow the wishes of everyone around you. It's good to try and make people happy and it's good not to be selfish, but you need to stay focused on yourself. Being assertive, standing firm for what is right for you, will increase your self-confidence and self-esteem.
If you have a conversation with a friend or classmate, share your opinion. Ask for the things you need. Say "no" when you need to or when you want to And most importantly: don't feel guilty when you do any of these things
Method 3 of 4: Practice Self-Respect
Step 1. Keep it clean
One thing you need to do to build your self-esteem is to practice good hygiene. In taking care of yourself, you have to take care of yourself more than anything else. To take care of yourself, you need to practice good hygiene. Wash your hair and skin regularly. Brush your teeth and hair. Use deodorant. Wash hands when needed. This will help you feel good about your body.
If you or your family are having trouble paying for personal hygiene items, there are often plenty of resources in the community where you can get them for free. Churches and local organizations often provide assistance for these needs. If not, they may know where to turn for help
Step 2. Wear clean and nice clothes
Take care of your clothes. Wash them when they get dirty and fold them to keep them from tangling. Do not store clothes that have lots of holes or tears. Try to remove the stain from the clothing and if the stain cannot be removed, remove the garment. Wear clothes that fit, not clothes that are too small or too loose.
If you're having trouble getting new clothes, you can get free clothes from many local church and community outreach centers. Thrift stores will also have clothes that are much cheaper than in regular stores. If you're worried that all you'll find is worn out clothes, try a thrift store in a nice part of town. A store next to the college would be your best bet. This will increase your chances of finding clothes that are new and of course good enough to last for years
Step 3. Get enough sleep
Adolescence is a time of formation, and many teens suffer from sleep deprivation. You may think it's okay to not get too much sleep, but it can actually have a serious impact on your health. Scientists have found that lack of sleep can be linked to a lack of optimism and self-esteem.
Step 4. Exercise
A big part of feeling good about your skin is by exercising. The extra fat can make you feel lethargic, out of breath, or uncomfortable. Exercise will help you feel more energetic and healthier.
Anything that gets your heart rate up for at least ten minutes is exercise. Work out by doing a morning run, doing push-ups and sit-ups, or doing squats. Whatever works for you is a good thing… you have to be consistent and don't give up
Step 5. Eat healthy foods
Healthy food, like exercise, will make you feel better about your skin. Eating a lot of fatty foods will increase your weight and will make you feel sluggish and sick. Eating a healthy diet will give you more energy and you will feel much happier. In good feelings, you will feel better about yourself.
Method 4 of 4: Erase the Negatives
Step 1. Avoid negative people
Don't spend time with negative people all the time. This will make you feel bad about yourself and the world around you. You don't want that in your life! Instead, spend time with people who understand that sometimes life is hard or that sometimes people can make mistakes, but that everything is good and should be appreciated, rather than raising a bar that simply cannot be achieved.
- If you have close friends who act this way, try to help them change. If they continue to act this way, try to spend less time with them. It's hard, but being around negative people is very unhealthy and won't help you build a good image of yourself or your life.
- If you find yourself acting this way: stop. You don't want to be that person. If there are bad things in your life, things you feel negative about, change them. Don't complain and focus on all the bad things…make the bad things into better things!
Step 2. Concentrate on achievements, not on failures
Don't spend your time regretting and worrying about everything you've ever failed to do. Learn from mistakes and move on. Instead of focusing on the things that have failed in your life, remember all the things you are good at. Remember all the good things you have done. This will help you to remember that you are doing well and can achieve great things when you are willing to try.
Make a list of the things you are most proud of. Stick it on your bedroom wall and look at it every day. This will motivate you to continue to do good things so that you can extend the contents of the list. See if you can make the list to reach the floor or higher than you
Step 3. Erase your image of perfection
There is a saying that nobody is perfect and it is true. Nobody is perfect. Nothing is perfect. Perfection is not a real thing. This means that you have to stop trying to be perfect. In trying to be perfect, you will only continue to disappoint yourself. It's good to fight for something. but this is the wrong way. Instead, think about where you are now and try to take it to a better level. Try to get a B on the first test before trying to get an A. Sometimes you will surprise yourself and you can do better than you think!
Step 4. Practice accepting yourself
Tell yourself every day that you are a good person. You have something to offer the world. You can do things that other people can't. You can handle all the challenges that are thrown at you. You can be better and happier. You will like other people and you will love yourself. You will always do your best. All of these things are true if you let them come true. You just have to be willing to get involved in this. Remember that these things are true and you will feel better about yourself and your abilities.
