Sometimes, building self-esteem is not as straightforward as people think. When building self-esteem, an individual gets to develop their sense of value and their personal opinion of themselves. Various factors build self-esteem, such as unique characteristics, life experiences, self-development, health, or age. Regardless of how one may think of themselves, it is essential to understand that self-esteem can always grow.
Many individuals have lowered self-esteem due to various factors. Unfortunately, some individuals who have low self-esteem turn to drugs or alcohol to improve their self-worth. They may also use substances as a way to feel better about the situation around them. As a person continues to use drugs and alcohol to make themselves feel better, they may start the cycle of addiction.
Self-esteem will fluctuate throughout life depending on an individual's experiences and environment. It can also fluctuate because of the people one chooses to interact with. Characteristics such as age, genetics, and personality can also influence a person's self-esteem.
Those who have higher self-esteem are more confident. They will, on average, speak up and share what they are looking to achieve and will appreciate others around them as well. Furthermore, someone who has high self-esteem will feel more fulfilled and dig into themselves to boost their self-value. They will develop healthy relationships without focusing on the negative side of the past. Those who work to build their self-esteem can handle constructive criticism and be more prepared to accept various challenges in life regardless of other people's opinions.
On the other hand, those with low self-esteem will do their best to make everyone happy, have doubts, be more sensitive to others’ opinions, lack confidence, and be more pessimistic about life. Furthermore, people with lower self-esteem may find it challenging to sustain boundaries or create elements to boost their motivation to find creativity.
Low self-esteem can also cause a lack of trying new things or maintaining healthy relationships. Often those who have low self-esteem will think that everything they do is never the best and will feel unsatisfied with who they are.
It is important to understand that each person in life can either have low self-esteem or high self-esteem at one point or another; self-esteem often fluctuates. Someone may seem confident one day and have high self-esteem, but another day can flip the scales and experience low self-esteem.
As friends and family members, helping a loved one who’s going through substance abuse treatment develop their self-esteem is vital in showing support. Self-esteem is only developed and becomes consistent when healthy practices are implemented.
For example, if an individual with low self-esteem presents a project to please their coworkers and does not get the expected reaction, they might take the opinions to heart if they have not done the work to maintain their self-esteem.
On the same note, an individual who has worked on maintaining high self-esteem can present the same project to their coworkers. Even if they do not get the same expected reaction, they will take it as constructive criticism to better themselves the next time another project comes.
Self-esteem plays an essential role in recovery because not everyone manages their self-esteem the same, especially when substance abuse comes into the mix. Often many individuals who struggle with substance use disorder (SUD) will experience depression or anxiety, leading to lower self-esteem, thus causing a change in the balance of value and determination.
If an individual is looking to build self-esteem in recovery, they can implement new healthy practices to reformulate their life and mindset about who they are. It can begin as simple affirmations or a change in a personal decision. One way to start the shift into building self-confidence is learning how to move past mistakes and forgive oneself.
Other tips for building self-esteem in recovery include:
When in recovery, it is essential to set small and reachable goals. Setting too high of a goal or expectation may make a person feel like a failure if they do not achieve what they set out to. This feeling can impede recovery and self-esteem. Instead, individuals in recovery should focus on setting realistic expectations and having small goals.
If an individual struggles with low self-esteem, they are more likely to have negative thoughts. While thinking positively is easy to tell someone to do, it is not always easy to put into practice. When an individual works their best to have positive thoughts, it can make a significant difference in their self-esteem. Seeing things in a more positive light rather than a negative one also enables people to see things from a different perspective.
Building self-esteem in recovery is essential. Finding help for things that may inhibit you from moving forward or motivating yourself can be a great way to jumpstart your self-esteem foundation. Your health and mindset will automatically start becoming more healthy, which will develop into a higher self-esteem. At NorthStar Transitions, we want to help you build your self-esteem because we know how important its role is in your recovery journey. We will recommend various treatment options and self-help strategies to improve and build on yourself. Over time you can start practicing the new techniques to treat any underlying feelings that may be difficult to approach. With NorthStar Transitions, you can learn how to build the necessary life skills for lasting recovery. For more information on substance use disorder treatment or how to build your self-esteem, and why it is crucial for recovery, call (303) 558-6400.
