self-esteem

building self-esteem

1. Use positive affirmations
2. Identify your competencies
3. Learn to accept compliments
4. Introduce self-compassion
5. Affirm your worth
6. Challenge negative beliefs
7. Give yourself a break
8. Learn to say no
9. Take on challenges
10. Do esteemable acts
11. Create micro wins
12. Develop a mission statement
13. Acknowledge and meet your basic needs
14. Cultivate a relationship with your inner child
15. Self-nurture on a daily basis
16. Develop a support system
17. Have intimacy in your relationships
18. Keep goals and feel a sense of accomplishment
19. Express your emotions
20. Take care of your physical well-being

self-care

aspects of self-care

1. Physical
2. Emotional
3. Social
   • Emotional, tangible, informational, and social
4. Sensory
5. Boundaries
   • Physical, emotional, time, sexual, intellectual, and material
   • Setting Boundaries

types of downtime

Each is necessary for maintaining good mental health.

1. Rest time
2. Recreation time
3. Relationship time

relaxation techniques

• Abdominal Breathing
  • In through nose to abdomen, out through mouth after pause, counting down from ten to one
• Calming Breathing
  • In through nose to abdomen a count of five, pause and hold a count of five, exhale a count of five, two normal breaths, say a mantra such as “relax”, repeat, for three to five minutes
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation
  • Tensing a muscle for a few seconds and then releasing it, going through all the muscle groups, scanning the body for tension
• Passive Muscle Relaxation
  • Focusing on each muscle group in sequence, imagine the muscle relaxing entirely, scanning the body for tension
• Meditation
  • Concentrative → Emphasizes concentrating your attention by maintaining a specific focus
  • Non-concentrative → Total content of experience — whatever comes up in awareness
  • Need the right attitude and technique
    • Beginner’s bind, non-striving, acceptance, non-judgement, patience, letting go, commitment to self-discipline
  • “Success” in meditation is just doing it
• Physical Exercise
  • Cardio, yoga, stretching, walking, sports, etc.