Self-esteem is an essential characteristic to achieve our goals efficiently, taking into account that it is related to self-confidence.
This personality characteristic begins to be established from childhood, with environmental factors (upbringing, friendships, etc.) being determining factors.
In this article we are going to see what exactly this psychological construct consists of, and we will also review What are the main benefits of having good self-esteem.
To understand the benefits of having good self-esteem, we must first familiarize ourselves with its concept. Self-esteem is the assessment we have of ourselves based on an adequate perception of our capabilities and our personality.
Contrary to what many may think, a person with high self-esteem does not necessarily have to be a conceited person. On many occasions it happens that people with a good assessment of themselves are the most discreet and reserved.
The self-esteem begins to establish itself during the early stages of development, through the training that parents or caregivers provide to the infant and their interaction with their peers. That is why parenting styles are determining factors in this process, and it is neither advisable to be too permissive with young people, nor to have absolute authority over them.
The ideal is to find a healthy balance so that they can feel loved and at the same time are able to perform certain tasks for themselves.
Advantages and benefits of having good self-esteem
In the next lines we will see a list with the benefits of having good self-esteem
1. Self-confidence
People with good self-esteem are carriers of self-confidence, which is basically beneficial for any project they undertake, in addition to being a protective factor against stress and depressive states.
2. Ability to forgive
Well-established self-esteem allows the subject to be able to forgive appropriately, without any resentment left in the way.
This ability does not only consist of forgiving others, but also It also applies to self-forgiveness.
3. Better development of learning skills
Being a carrier of good self-esteem facilitates better development of personal skills, taking into account that the better concept we have of ourselves, the greater the tendency there will be to aspire to stimulating goals that enhance our capabilities.
Thus, good self-esteem predisposes us not to give up learning new skills and to test ourselves to measure our progress, without being afraid of the possibility of verifying that we have not advanced as much as we expected (because that would not imply anything very bad about ourselves either). ).
4. Adequate concern for health
Health care is a topic that is closely related to good self-esteem.
And it is that The people who care most about being healthy are those who have a good image of themselves and they are valued. This makes them lead healthy lifestyles and avoid excesses.
On the other hand, self-esteem problems are also reflected in the degree to which people are fair or unfair to their own body. It is difficult to take care of ourselves if we believe that the future will not hold anything interesting or promising for us.
5. Ability to face and overcome problems
Another benefit of having good self-esteem is using more effective coping styles. Generally, people with this psychological characteristic They face problems assertively and frontally they do not have the need to avoid them because they trust in their abilities and know that they have what it takes to overcome the problem.
6. Better mental health
The correlation that exists between mental health and self-esteem is highly positive, since people who have a better self-concept They tend to avoid conflicts and toxic situations in their lives, and at the same time they do not give up getting involved in projects that are challenging despite demanding that they leave their comfort zone. It is a healthy balance between non-participation in situations that do not contribute and participation in new challenges.
The higher self-esteem, the greater the ability to regulate exposure to potentially frustrating or, on the contrary, too boring situations, and therefore lower levels of stress and anguish.
7. Better life purposes
Goals and purposes in life are issues that are subject to the perception we have of ourselves. In this sense, if a subject has a better self-concept of himself, he will believe that he is capable of achieving better things in life and will do everything possible to make this happen.
8. The ability to assume responsibilities in the best way
Good self-esteem helps us assume and fulfill our responsibilities in a better way, understanding that It is not enough to just be able to fulfill our obligations but it is also important to do them well.
9. Better interpersonal relationships
Having good self-esteem means tend to develop good relationships with their peers taking into account that those who have a properly adjusted self-concept relate adaptively to others, and are also selective subjects who avoid relating to conflictive individuals.
10. Security when making decisions
When we have good self-esteem, it is common for us to make decisions in a more committed and confident way.
Of course, this fact responds to a prior evaluation of the situation related to the confidence we have when establishing plans, to look beyond the present.
People with well-established self-esteem evaluate the feasibility of their actions before making the corresponding decisions, to avoid the possible frustration of not having been able to meet the objectives initially set.
