Positive Aging Movement Part 4: Self Esteem Tips

A positive mindset, a dose of optimism and a sense of humour are all needed to maintain a healthy self esteem. But there are other things you can do and habits you can adopt to maintain a strong sense of self and be a poster girl or boy for positive aging. 

Physical appearance: Your physical appearance shows a lot about how your feel about yourself and that you take pride in your appearance. This attitude draws people to you and this can improve your outlook on life.
Stay active: You are responsible for your health and wellbeing. Make sure you eat right and stay physically active. Exercise and nutrition play a crucial role in how you feel physically and mentally. This could be as simple as going for a walk everyday, gardening, doing yoga, dancing, stretching.

Mental self care: Taking time for self reflection every day connects you with your sense of self worth and helps to improve confidence and concentration. These activities can include meditation, affirmations, listening to music, reading, social events, educational workshops.  

Be true to yourself. Live your life doing what feels right to you, not what someone else thinks you should do. Get in the habit of pleasing yourself. You are responsible for your own happiness.

Learn something new. Become an expert. Get curious and learn all there is to know about what interests you. Spend time thinking about what you’d like to find out more about. Hobbies, crafts, learning a language, playing an instrument, a cooking course. Learning is growing, and it feels good.

Celebrate your successes. Even the small ones. Don't wait to get perfect. Any progress at all is worthy of celebration. You are your own cheerleading squad and fan club. Pat yourself he back for challenges you’ve overcome and always push yourself toward new goals.

Utilize your skills and experience: Volunteering can give you an incredible sense of self worth and is extremely rewarding. Your knowledge and skills are yours to share and help others learn. You will also expand your social network and meet new people.

Have a sense of humour: Look for humour in situations. People with a healthy sense of humour have greater self esteem and are more optimistic. Humour reduces tension, breaks down barriers, relaxes, stimulates new ideas, and creates energy and a positive atmosphere.

 

We all face daily setbacks and challenges in life. The key is to roll with the punches and accept whatever life throws at you. Don’t get discouraged. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again. The only constant in life is change and when you’re down, the only way to go is up.