A self-esteem affirmation is a positive statement about yourself that, when practiced regularly, can improve your image of yourself. We believe what we hear repeatedly, and when we replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations we can change our belief that we are less worthy of love and happiness than others.

The forced isolation of the pandemic offers us a unique opportunity to focus on how to build self-esteem. Many of us are spending this time alone without the support that we have learned to rely on. This can be very intimidating as we are forced to do things for ourselves that we are not used to doing, but it can also be very freeing by allowing us to experiment and practice new skills without the world watching. It can be a perfect time for building self-esteem.

We can build and maintain healthy self-esteem by helping others and earning their gratitude and appreciation. Strong self-esteem comes from believing in our value as a person. One way to feel that we are worthy of self-respect is to be there for others in need.

My usual routines for self-care are failing while I'm in quarantine, and my self-esteem is suffering because I feel unproductive. Healthy self-esteem allows us to take care of ourselves and love ourselves because we believe we are worth the effort. The last few weeks have been difficult as I struggle to adapt to the restrictions placed on us by the COVID-19 pandemic. After I spent one week doing nothing to take care of myself, I created a quarantine routine to help rebuild my self-esteem and get back to feeling productive.

COVID-19 affects my bipolar type 2 disorder. Most of the news is about people with underlying physical health issues and how the virus is extra dangerous to them. Have no doubt, those of us with mental health diagnoses are also at extra risk, and we don't even have to be exposed to experience the fallout. Here's how COVID-19 is affecting me and my ability to manage my bipolar type 2.

Self-esteem is a basic human need, but it's not a primary need. It's natural that you are motivated to build healthy self-esteem, however. But did you know that there are prerequisites for maintaining the motivation you need to focus on successfully building self-esteem? I want to share a story about a time when I had poor self-esteem, and my situation demanded I focus on my primary needs first.

Building a habit of self-care can build self-esteem. Practicing self-care regularly will lead us to accept the belief that we are worthy of loving and taking care of ourselves as best as we possibly can. Taking good care of ourselves allows us to be our best, and feeling your best will improve your self-esteem.

Setting reasonable expectations for yourself can create healthy self-esteem, while unreasonable expectations can negatively affect your self-esteem. When you don't meet your goals, you disappoint yourself and possibly others. If you have healthy self-esteem you trust yourself to fulfill your commitments. I'm going to share how learning to set reasonable expectations for myself made me successful last week and helped me build a stronger sense of self-esteem.

New experiences can bolster self-esteem. I learned this first-hand this week when I received training on new technology for managing my type 1 diabetes. As exciting as it is to be on the cutting edge, my ancient VCR is still unconnected since my recent move because I can't figure out how to attach it to my new cable box. New technology is challenging for me and I was nervous about going in for my training. I am still a bit anxious today as I continue to learn on the job, so to speak, but every day I see tiny little improvements in my diabetes control, and it keeps me motivated. This new experience is strengthening my self-esteem, bit by bit.

I’m Jessica Kaley, and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the "Building Self-Esteem" blog. I aim to answer questions like why self-esteem is important to our happiness and success, and how we can improve old pictures of ourselves that we still carry from the past.