Feel Good About Yourself With These Five Simple Habits

Low self-esteem can sabotage your professional life, causing you to underperform and miss out on opportunities for growth. Your self-assessment also impacts your office relationships — when you like and respect yourself, it's easier for others to do the same. Feel good about who you are and what you do by building positive, constructive habits.

Be Kind to Yourself

Self-care is a crucial, yet often neglected, step in improving low self-esteem. To start, make a list of ways to be nice to yourself on a daily basis. Aim for small, doable actions: takeout from your favorite restaurant, 10 minutes of social media, a bubble bath after work or a mini meditation at lunch. The action itself doesn't matter, as long as it makes you feel good. Make it a habit to do at least one task each day.

Celebrate Accomplishments

One way to start feeling better immediately is to be your own biggest cheerleader. Don't wait for a huge milestone to come along — start with tiny successes. Choose anything that feels like an accomplishment, no matter how small: writing a difficult email, organizing your desk or even making it through a long meeting. Pause for a moment, close your eyes if possible, and consciously notice the feelings that come along with the achievement. These small bursts of positivity can make you feel good about yourself every day.

Repeat Positive Mantras

If you're like many people, you assess your own performance with harsher words and criticisms than you apply to colleagues or friends. Change this habit by creating positive mantras. Consider options that address your toughest self-criticisms, such as, "I have the skills and experience to perform well at work" or "I am confident and capable." If that falls flat, reframe the statements as though someone else was saying them to you: "You are confident and capable."

Forgive Yourself

Everyone makes mistakes at work. Instead of cringing with embarrassment or retreating into your personal bubble after an error, be forgiving. Allow yourself time to feel and process the emotions, and then move on. Give the situation a positive twist by finding the lesson. What can you do better next time? What concrete steps can you take to avoid similar mistakes? Letting go of perfectionism and embracing concrete steps for improvement can reduce stress and help build self-esteem.

Praise Generously

The way you treat others can have a big impact on your own mental state. Improve your own mood by doling out praise and kindness to others. Notice their achievements and capabilities, and make it a point to comment on them. If a colleague delivers an eloquent presentation in a meeting, compliment that person for it after. Be specific with your praise. "Nice speech" is less effective than, "Your project brief really helped me understand our role in the client's business. Thanks!" Spreading positive feedback strengthens relationships and creates a happy atmosphere, which inevitably makes you feel good about yourself.

Small changes can go a long way in building self-esteem. By tailoring each habit to your personal preferences, you can feel good about yourself and approach work with a positive, hopeful outlook.

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