International Boost Self Esteem Month

Written by Caitlin Wheeler

What is International Boost Self Esteem Month?

International Boost Self Esteem Month takes place during the month of February. Self esteem is one’s view of themself and their self worth or perceived value. It’s often considered to be self-fulfilling. If you think you won’t be able to do something or you doubt yourself, it often turns out that you struggle to accomplish your goals. But, if you believe in yourself and have trust in your abilities, you’ll accomplish more. International Boost Self Esteem Month is a time to focus on your self esteem and hopefully improve it. But, it’s also been shown that too much self esteem can actually be bad. counselingschools.com says, “According to the 2003 APS metastudy, those with high self-esteem also showed stronger in-group favoritism, which could increase prejudice and discrimination.” But low self esteem isn’t good either. They go on to add, “Studies have repeatedly suggested that low self-esteem leads to poorer health outcomes, including depression and physical illness.”

How Can I Observe Boost Self Esteem Month?

This holiday month is about being aware of your self esteem, how it affects your life, and how you can improve it. In addition, it’s been shown that having higher self esteem makes you more capable and confident in helping others. Self esteem can be really hard to improve, but it can be done over time. A few ideas are listed by nationaltoday.com: “Remember your past accomplishments; Accept and give compliments; Build habits that will promote self-improvement”. This means being proud of what you’ve done in the past, giving compliments and believing compliments you get, and starting a new habit that will push you to better yourself. If you find yourself giving harsh self-criticisms, take those negative thoughts and rephrase them. Oftentimes, the person bringing down your self esteem most is yourself. Don’t lose hope; self esteem can be improved, even if it takes time. Start small and know that setbacks will happen, but if you keep going and keep a positive mindset, you can accomplish a lot more than you think.

Sources

https://www.counselingschools.com/blog/international-boost-self-esteem-month

https://nationaltoday.com/international-boost-self-esteem-month/#:~:text=International%20Boost%20Self%20Esteem%20Month%20%E2%80%93%20February%202023&text=The%20International%20Boost%20Self%2DEsteem%20Month%20is%20annually%20observed%20in%20February