It regularly makes me sad and mad in my coaching space when I see such impressive people struggling to see the gifts and value they bring.  And wow it’s so wonderful when those same people benefit from building their self esteem, moving from being their own biggest enemy to their own support system, even their own cheerleader .

A key tool in building self esteem is tapping into a different perspective.  Seeing something from another angle and outside of a body and brain that reacts on autopilot with self criticism, rejection of achievement/success/praise, even self annihilation.  Here’s a few tactics for doing this (and of course don’t forget the other tools in this Self Esteem Series):

Write it down:

  • Find images that help you to tap into a time when you felt strong, capable, at ease with yourself (or if that’s too tricky, images that help you imagine how it would be to feel differently than you do now)
  • Scatter them through your environment so you encounter them regularly, IRL and on tech
  • Take time to notice them and let the feelings seep into your mind and body

Visualise it:

  • Journalling is such a useful tool for getting out of your own head (and the automatic thought patterns that crop up there)
  • Challenge yourself to dig into the evidence, and explore the positives
  • For me, using pen and paper is more effective for a new perspective than tech

Create some space:

  • Many self esteem wobbles come from automatic thought patterns – think unconscious reaction rather than chosen action
  • To disrupt this we sometimes need to get some physical space from the things that are triggering us – change the environment and step away
  • And the most effective thing is to get soothe the nervous system with self regulation tools to give it the breathing space to let some logic in and try a new more nurturing approach

Obviously a holistic life coach is someone who can help make this process so much easier (me!).  Let’s chat if you like the sound of that.