6 Strategies to Improve Self-esteem in Adolescence

For many young people, adolescence is a complicated stage of life that comes hand in hand with an identity crisis. This type of crisis does not occur only on an intellectual level; It also has clear emotional implications, and that is why there are many who, once they have crossed the threshold of puberty, feel vertigo when faced with the task of discovering who they really are, accepting and loving themselves.

In this article we will review the most useful strategies to improve self-esteem to help adolescents based on key ideas used in psychotherapy.

Why is it important to help teenagers have good self-esteem?

Adolescence is a key life development stage in which the transition between childhood and adulthood occurs Therefore, the experiences lived during the years in which it takes place have important implications in shaping the way in which young people learn to see themselves and manage the emotions linked to their identity.

Thus, the development of self-esteem during adolescence is a complex process, full of challenges in which minors must learn as they go to value themselves, to focus on one or another referents and to use concepts through which they explore themselves. and put into words what they are and feel. It is not easy, because Since the beginning of puberty, his reference is no longer his fathers and mothers, but the rest of the young people his age (and especially, those who are a little older than them), who also tend to be quite disoriented in that mission of self-discovery.

For this reason, the way in which adolescents value themselves is usually very polarizing: sometimes they feel on top of the world, and on many other occasions, they feel vulnerable and focus their attention on those they believe are their loved ones. major defects, which they try to hide. Taking that into account, it is not surprising that at this stage of life the frequency with which many of the most common psychological disorders occur, such as depression or EDs, skyrockets.

It is common for adolescence to be emotionally turbulent, and in the most severe cases, young people adopt the belief that “they are good for nothing.” In fact, it has been seen that in the age group between 12 and 18 years, cases of suicidal ideation skyrocket rapidly in relation to minors under 12 years of age.

The good news is that, on the one hand, being a teenager does not have to imply having emotional and self-esteem problems, and on the other hand, even for minors who suffer from these psychological disorders, it is possible to offer effective help both from psychotherapy as well as from the family.

Useful strategies to boost a teenager’s self-esteem

When faced with self-esteem problems, the best option is always to go to psychotherapy to explore the specific case and have a tailor-made psychological intervention program, regardless of the person’s age. However, in milder cases, another option is to apply some guidelines and strategies that are often useful to promote habits that make it easier to raise self-esteem. Here you will find a summary of the most effective in the case of adolescents.

1. Do not compare him with other young people his age

If you have noticed that you have self-esteem problems, it is most likely that you are already comparing yourself to them constantly, and furthermore, that you do it through very rigid criteria about what “success” and “failure” are ”. What it is about is precisely to expand your palette of values ​​and concepts of what is valuable and speaks well of yourself, and you probably won’t find this in your group of friends or classmates, a relatively small social context. in which there will surely not be a great variety of activities or opinions, tastes and points of view.

The ideal is not to encourage comparison with others, but rather that in any case have sources of inspiration in relevant figures in which there is a part of their interests For example, if you have a teenage daughter who feels bad because she thinks she is “strange” for liking sports, show her the example of other great athletes, even if they are not her age.

2. Help him find his hobbies

As an adult, it is much more likely that you have access to information or references that are far from your teenager’s life. Discover activities that they might like, offer to teach them a hobby

3. Do not encourage him to look with bad eyes on those activities that are “strange”

If you teach him to laugh at someone who is different, that will also turn against him because he will become obsessed with the idea of ​​completely fitting into the groups he wants to belong to and repressing any aspects of himself that may be discordant.

4. Help him make new friends

Put him in contact with the neighbors’ children, with distant cousins, with young people who attend an extracurricular activity that he may like, etc. The more likely you are to create friendships, the greater ability you will have to get rid of toxic relationships that make you feel bad about your own way of being; It will be easier for him to feel appreciated and accepted by a group of young people his age, which is very important in adolescence.

• You may be interested: “The 6 main types of toxic relationships”

5. Offer your help, but without interrogations

If your way of reacting to suspicions that he has self-esteem problems is to fire off a flurry of questions about what he did during the day and how he feels, he will likely become defensive. It is best to honestly express that we are worried about him or her, and tell him or her that we would like to be able to help

• Related article: “How to give emotional support, in 6 steps”

6. Value their achievements

If you put as much or more emphasis on what he does wrong than on what he does well, you will be making it difficult for him to develop good self-esteem. Let him know that you recognize his achievements as such and that you appreciate his value, and tell others about them. In this way, your social environment will give you reasons to value yourself and incentives to continue progressing in what you are good at and that motivates you.

Are you looking for psychotherapy services for children and adolescents?

If you are interested in having professional psychological support for your son or daughter through child and adolescent psychotherapy, contact us.

In Psychology For We have been caring for patients for more than 20 years, and we work helping people of all ages, both intervening in cases of psychopathology and problems such as poor relationship management, learning and/or time management problems, or modulation. inappropriate emotions. We also offer services in speech therapy, coaching, neuropsychology and psychiatry.

You can find us in our psychology center located in the Goya neighborhood of Madrid, and we also offer the online modality through video call.