The One Simple Thing You Can Do Right Now to Boost Your Self Esteem
A wise man once said, “I know I can, I think can.”
Okay...so admittedly the ‘wise man’ in my example was actually the beloved children’s character Thomas the Tank Engine! But the point is, these simple words hold a lot of truth about how the way we perceive ourselves has a huge impact on our self-esteem.
You’re probably aware of the concept of positive psychology - the ability to positively influence our state of mind by adopting a positive mindset. And it turns out the evidence of this is everywhere.
One clear example can be found in a lovely experiment conducted by the psychiatric rehabilitation program at the Department of Veteran Affairs. The program decided to focus on the way in which individuals perceived their strengths - from what they believed they were to how capable they saw themselves to be.
As part of an initiative to integrate positive psychology with psychiatric rehabilitation, the program created a strengths survey. This survey identified 24 character strengths, determined from an extensive examination of major philosophical and religious works - we’re talking everything from Plato’s Republic and the Bible all the way through to the Harry Potter books!
The list of 24 character strengths was then categorised into the following six virtues:
Wisdom and knowledge
Courage
Humanity
Justice
Temperance
Transcendence
Armed with this definitive list of human strengths, the survey asked participants to rate themselves on what they perceived to be their strengths. But this initiative was about more than just getting people to write down what they were good at...
As it turns out, after months of making the strength survey available to veterans within the psychiatric rehabilitation centre, the results showed some amazing short-term and long-term benefits. Veterans who’d taken part in the survey reported a range of mental improvements, ranging from an increased sense of accomplishment and mastery to improved mood and an increase in positive thoughts about themselves.
So what’s going on here? How can a straightforward survey cause such significant benefits in the way we feel and think about ourselves?
The answer lies in positive psychology and the fact that focusing on our strengths rather than our weaknesses can actually create a positive feedback loop in the brain, resulting in greater confidence in our capabilities and higher determination to pursue our goals.
One veteran who took part in the survey was even inspired to follow through on his plans to return to school after identifying “a love of learning” as one of his signature strengths! This shows the beautiful positive motion that can be catalysed as a result of honing in on where our strengths lie.
Many of the survey participants report that even long after the experiment, they keep their list of strengths somewhere visible such as by their beds or on their refrigerators, so they can remind themselves of the positive attributes they see in themselves.
This simple experiment is a classic example of the power of positive thinking. And the best part is, you don’t even need to take a survey to kickstart your brain into a confident, capable state of mind.
For a quick self-esteem boost that will get you ready to slay the day, take a few minutes to list out your signature strengths. Maybe you’re really amazing at making people feel comfortable...or you have a natural ability to take on adrenaline-fuelled challenges...or you simply excel at creative tasks. Go ahead and make your list, then sit back and marvel at all the things you’re marvellous at!
If you’d like some inspiration, you can even check out the original strengths survey from the Department of Veteran Affairs using this link: https://www.viacharacter.org
Isn’t it wonderful that you’re so incredibly powerful, you only have to think about your strengths in order to change your brain? Never underestimate the amazing things you’re capable of - and why not make a point of focusing on them a little more?