By Alina Mikos
In our hectic daily lives, it’s easy to get into the rhythm of just reacting to our environment instead of putting forth positive, unique and constructive actions. When we take time to reflect and to construct a plan based on our aspirations and our need to improve ourselves, we can begin navigating our lives in a purposeful and beautiful way. Since every choice we make, every action we take, is affected by ourself-esteem and the innate belief we have in ourselves, self-reflection is a crucial step in strengthening and improving our spirits and our lives.One efficient method of self-reflection is to keep a journal. Journaling offers a genuine opportunity for self discovery, but it does require time and dedication. It is important to view your time spent journaling as a form of self-reflection, as an essential part of your day or week in order to obtain the best results.
Positive Attributes
In improving self-esteem, it is important to be aware and proud of your strengths. The first section of your journal might be a tribute to all of those positive qualities which benefit you in your life and which others admire in you. Write down all of your achievements to date. Focusing on your abilities makes you feel better about yourself and creates an image of yourself as a more capable person. If you spend most of your time paying attention to your faults and weaknesses, soon that will be all that you see. You can always add to this list and should refer to it whenever you are feeling low. Reviewing your positive attributes will also help reinforce them in your thoughts.
Identify Triggers
The next section of your journal will be based on regular entries, focusing on your feelings of self-esteem. Record your feelings of well-being as well as your feelings of low self-confidence. Make sure to include the environment and situation you are in, as through these entries you will discover any “triggers” in your life which lower self-worth. Once you discover these triggers, you can either avoid them or overcome them. For example, there might be people in your life that make you feel worse about yourself, but if they are subtle in their methods, you may not recognize the behavior, only the negative feelings following your interaction with that person. Your journal will show you clearly which people and environments in your life either boost or lower your self-respect. Then it is up to you to either take yourself out of those relationships or circumstances, or learn how to counteract their negative effect on you.
Set Goals
Be specific about what changes you want in your life. Whether it’s a job change or promotion, a healthy relationship, or a weight and exercise goal, write it down in this next section, and be specific! The clearer your goals, the easier it will be to figure out the steps to accomplish them. Write down the steps you plan to take to achieve what you want. Be realistic. This journal is meant to boost your self-esteem, not lower it by setting unrealistic goals that you could never achieve in a certain time frame, causing feelings of failure. By reviewing these goals regularly, they will keep you focused and motivated on the endgame.
If for some reason you have not achieved one of your goals in the timeframe you have given yourself, do not view yourself as a failure, but learn from your experience and set a new date for your goal based on your new knowledge.
Positive Visualization
Visualization is a powerful method used for achieving your goals. By reading your clearly-set goals in your journal, keeping the page open to refer to if need be, you can then visualize your goals as if you have already achieved them. This is a type of meditative state where you create the emotions and feelings associated with the achievement of that goal. The power of the mind is immeasurable, and giving yourself positive visualizations on a regular basis allows your mind to open up any blocks you may have towards achieving these goals.
Track Your Progress
Through journaling, you will be able to track your progress as you work on your self-esteem. As you build your self-confidence, it may show up in little ways at first, which you might overlook if you are not journaling in detail. It is important to always be aware of your progress and to celebrate it, since it’s what motivates you to keep going.
Positive Attributes
In improving self-esteem, it is important to be aware and proud of your strengths. The first section of your journal might be a tribute to all of those positive qualities which benefit you in your life and which others admire in you. Write down all of your achievements to date. Focusing on your abilities makes you feel better about yourself and creates an image of yourself as a more capable person. If you spend most of your time paying attention to your faults and weaknesses, soon that will be all that you see. You can always add to this list and should refer to it whenever you are feeling low. Reviewing your positive attributes will also help reinforce them in your thoughts.
Identify Triggers
The next section of your journal will be based on regular entries, focusing on your feelings of self-esteem. Record your feelings of well-being as well as your feelings of low self-confidence. Make sure to include the environment and situation you are in, as through these entries you will discover any “triggers” in your life which lower self-worth. Once you discover these triggers, you can either avoid them or overcome them. For example, there might be people in your life that make you feel worse about yourself, but if they are subtle in their methods, you may not recognize the behavior, only the negative feelings following your interaction with that person. Your journal will show you clearly which people and environments in your life either boost or lower your self-respect. Then it is up to you to either take yourself out of those relationships or circumstances, or learn how to counteract their negative effect on you.
Set Goals
Be specific about what changes you want in your life. Whether it’s a job change or promotion, a healthy relationship, or a weight and exercise goal, write it down in this next section, and be specific! The clearer your goals, the easier it will be to figure out the steps to accomplish them. Write down the steps you plan to take to achieve what you want. Be realistic. This journal is meant to boost your self-esteem, not lower it by setting unrealistic goals that you could never achieve in a certain time frame, causing feelings of failure. By reviewing these goals regularly, they will keep you focused and motivated on the endgame.
If for some reason you have not achieved one of your goals in the timeframe you have given yourself, do not view yourself as a failure, but learn from your experience and set a new date for your goal based on your new knowledge.
Positive Visualization
Visualization is a powerful method used for achieving your goals. By reading your clearly-set goals in your journal, keeping the page open to refer to if need be, you can then visualize your goals as if you have already achieved them. This is a type of meditative state where you create the emotions and feelings associated with the achievement of that goal. The power of the mind is immeasurable, and giving yourself positive visualizations on a regular basis allows your mind to open up any blocks you may have towards achieving these goals.
Track Your Progress
Through journaling, you will be able to track your progress as you work on your self-esteem. As you build your self-confidence, it may show up in little ways at first, which you might overlook if you are not journaling in detail. It is important to always be aware of your progress and to celebrate it, since it’s what motivates you to keep going.
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