The Importance of Self Esteem

Fun fact, February is International Boost your Self-Esteem Month. As a company that began because of the impact nice clothing had on our founders self esteem, this celebration of self-love hits close to home. 

So what is self-esteem and, most importantly, why does it matter? 

What It Is: 

So everyone knows that self-esteem is, in its simplest form, loving yourself. On a deeper level, though, it’s the value that you see within yourself. So, when you’re shopping, you’re going to buy the freshest bread because it has the best value (you’re less likely to waste it, it’ll probably taste better, and it hasn’t been sitting on a shelf for so long). 

How do you find, or even perceive, the value that you have? After all, don’t we all deserve to feel like the freshest bread on the shelf? 

There are actually three different types of self esteem, inflated self-esteem, high self-esteem, and low self-esteem. 

All of these are pretty accurately named. With inflated self-esteem describing a kind of self-esteem in which a person thinks higher of themselves than might necessarily be healthy. They think they’re infallible while consistently underestimating or disapproving of others. 

High self-esteem is what we’re all really trying to achieve. This means you accept and value yourself, while acknowledging you are not free of flaws. Rather, you understand that is part of what makes you human. 

Low self-esteem - as the name suggests - implies the person suffers from low self-worth and a distorted view of themselves. Unfortunately, a staggering amount of people are on the level of the self-esteem spectrum. 

Why It's Important: 

There are many reasons that self-esteem matters, but take a look at a pretty perfect description from MentalHelp. 

"Self-esteem is important because it heavily influences people's choices and decisions. In other words, self-esteem serves a motivational function by making it more or less likely that people will take care of themselves and explore their full potential." 

What this can be boiled down to, is that your self-esteem will always have an impact on the choices you make. Whether that's as small as what food you're going to eat for dinner or as big as whether or not you'll apply for that job that everyone says you would be great at. Self-esteem is an ever-changing, constantly fluctuating thing that we hold within ourselves, and the weight of it is ours to carry. 

So why not lighten the load? 

Boosting your self-esteem is just as ongoing and wavering as self-esteem. You'll find the things that work for you. And some days will be harder than others. That's not only fine, it's expected - what matters during those times is giving yourself grace and understanding that we're all allowed to pick ourselves apart sometimes. You just have to understand that you're worth more. 

Here are just a few of the ways you can work to build your confidence: 

• Think Positively: No, really. It sounds like a simple solution, but we spend more time talking to ourselves than we do to anyone else. If our thoughts are constantly negative towards ourselves, what do we expect? Training your thoughts to be rewired away from self-hate is an important step towards building your self-esteem. 
• Break Up Big Projects Into Small Tasks: Feeling successful, which comes from completing important tasks, is a huge, instant boost to your self-worth. So rather than letting a giant, impossible project loom over your head, break it up into smaller pieces to experience that high on a regular basis. 
• Invest In Things For You: It's been proven that doing something for yourself, whether that's a new hair cut or a brand new suit, do something that you know will boost the confidence you have when walking into a room. 

Wherever you might lie on the spectrum of self-esteem, the most important thing is understanding that things will get better, and that you can give yourself forgiveness in times your confidence may be low. Remember to take care of yourself, and check-in on your own emotions. 

Until next time!