SELF-ESTEEM
What does self-esteem mean?
How you view, value, and feel about yourself.
What is self-talk?
The things we say to ourselves in our minds.
“I got one question wrong, so I’m stupid.”
Labeling.
Name one personal strength.
Any reasonable answer.
Someone criticizes you. Does that automatically mean their opinion is true?
No
True or False: You have to be confident all the time to have healthy self-esteem.
False.
Which is healthier?
A. “I’m stupid.”
B. “I made a mistake.”
“Everyone thinks I’m weird.”
Mind reading.
What’s something you can say after making a mistake instead of calling yourself stupid?
“I made a mistake, but I can learn from it.”
You make a mistake in front of the whole group. What’s healthier:
A. Everyone thinks I’m an idiot.”
B. “That was embarrassing, but everyone makes mistakes.”
Name TWO things that can negatively affect someone’s self-esteem.
Bullying, criticism, rejection, comparison, failure, negative relationships, etc.
Turn this negative thought into healthier self-talk:
“I’ll never get better at this.”
“I’m struggling right now, but I can improve with practice.”
“I failed this time, so I’ll always fail.”
Overgeneralizing.
What’s healthier: avoiding everything you’re bad at OR allowing yourself to practice and improve?
Practice and improve.
Someone says: “I did something bad, therefore I am a bad person.” What would you say to them?
“You can take responsibility for something you did without deciding that the entire person you are is worthless.”
Can someone look confident but secretly have low self-esteem?
Yes
True or False: Just because you think something doesn’t mean it’s true.
True
“If I don’t do this perfectly, I’m a failure.”
All-or-nothing thinking.
Give one example of an accomplishment that has nothing to do with money, grades, appearance, or popularity.
helping someone, learning a skill, staying calm, asking for help, overcoming something difficult, etc.
“Can you hold yourself accountable for your actions AND still have self-esteem?”
Yes Accountability and self-worth can exist at the same time.
What’s the difference between having healthy self-esteem and thinking you’re better than everyone else?
Healthy self-esteem means recognizing your own worth without needing to put others down.
A person thinks, “Nobody likes me because one person rejected me.” What could they tell themselves instead?
Something like, “One person’s rejection doesn’t mean nobody likes me.”
Everyone else is better than me
Comparing/possibly mind reading and assuming you know what others’ lives are really like.
Someone says “I have nothing good about me.” Give them THREE questions you could ask to help them identify their strengths.
“why are we sometimes kinder to other people than we are to ourselves?”
we are our own inner critic. Sometimes we judge ourselves more harshly than others would