Self-esteem they say is often found in a dance between your deepest desires and your greatest fears. 

A sickness no one escapes from, one of the most familiar baggage you and I, probably carry with any other stranger out there in the world, is finding the strength to look into a mirror, and be completely satisfied with the person staring back. 

No one says it out loud, but amidst the silence, everyone despises themselves a little every once in a while. 

Often stemming from childhood and life experiences, the why people-rarely-like themselves, exist on a very wide spectrum and no two persons, have the same ability understanding or dealing with it. 

Come what may though, we were designed to find a way around the stumbling blocks of life (low self-esteem included) and despite it being a fall down-pick yourself back up predicament, there are a few practices we should invest in, to at least attempt, to keep our self-esteems in check. 

    
First, is simply having the underlying understanding that we’re only human. 

You see so many people have a set-in stone mindset of attaining perfection, that when that goal doesn’t come to fruition, we kick ourselves really hard. What people don’t understand is that we are flaw-full creatures who are bound to screw up, and that trivial fact ultimately, is actually alright. 

We need to learn to not only forgive ourselves, but also to acknowledge that mistakes are perfectly normal. The best part of life is that we get to try again tomorrow, and that very basic notion is one of the most deliberate frameworks, to maintaining good self-esteem. 

Apart from that, is recognizing everything we do right. 

Continually judging, we’re always so focused on the black dots splashed across a white sheet of paper, we forget to regard the existence of the other color that’s also on the paper. 

Taking notice to all our little accomplishments and giving ourselves a pat on the back for a job well done, no matter how small, goes a long way in lifting self-esteem. 

We need to learn to treat ourselves with the same love and care in which we treat others. 

Next is taking time out of our day, week, month, year to understand ourselves. 

It is important that we go into our own minds and hearts to grasp what makes us, us. Our beliefs, values, principles, motives, what drives us and what challenges us, they’re crucial in sensing why we feel, think, act or react the way we do. 

It is through this insight, that we will be able to steer more control over the demons buried in our heads. Not so much as a means to silence them, but to figure out a way to accept them, so that we can eventually alter those voices. 

Moving on from that is, making sure that our physical health is just as on par, with both our mental and emotional health. 

Believe it or not, eating well and exercising can actually help with self-esteem. 

Finding a right balance with the food we consume, as well as keeping our bodies active with home workouts, or yoga, or any other physical activity, will inherently make us feel good about ourselves. 

After all, a healthy mind, effectively begins with a healthy body. 

And finally, is knowing the people to surround ourselves with. 

The world is vast and exciting, but it can also very well be scary and brutal. Having a support system that is both encouraging and supportive is vital to our self-esteem. 

Family and friends who stand by you and cheer you on, in spite of everything that makes you human, should be the constants in your life. 

Anything or anyone, who adds to all the already existing negativity inside you, has to be left behind. 

Although being cultivated and nourished from growing up at home as well as the people around us, working on one’s self-esteem mostly begins from within. 

It is difficult finding reasons to love ourselves, especially when we see all parts of us, rawness and everything. 

But at the close, we consciously make choices everyday to be the people we are, and if we don’t like who we’ve become, then the only thing we can do, is keep making better choices. It’s an ongoing cycle which never ends, but we keep going. 

We choose to be better people, again and again, until one day, we look into that same mirror and we’re finally happy with the person who’s looking back.