How We Can Develop Healthier Self Esteem, Self-Acceptance and Confidence

Our self-concept, positive self-regard and resulting confidence, are key influences on how fully we realize our talents and live our lives.

What can we do to nurture healthy levels of self-esteem, self-appreciation, self-compassion?

Halle Berry, referring to being abused as a child by her violent father, who also assaulted her mother, said: “I think I’ve spent my adult life dealing with the sense of low self-esteem that sort of implanted in me. Somehow I felt not worthy.”

“The absence of self-acceptance in my life brought me the darkest pain I’ve ever been in.” Elizabeth Gilbert

“The research shows that healthy self-compassion increases our inner drive, our resilience, and our ability to excel.” Kristin Neff

“I’ve been hearing a lot of HSPs (highly sensitive persons) be held back from the worry of judgment from others or being different or listening to others’ expectations of you, or even self-judgment and fear of failure.” Therapist Julie Bjelland

“If you are a highly creative person…an injured self-esteem will show up in your journey over and over again.” Therapist Mihaela Ivan Holtz

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Elizabeth Gilbert on Self Acceptance

Author Elizabeth Gilbert (“Eat, Pray, Love” and “Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear”) is one of the speakers at the Self-Acceptance Summit produced by Sounds True.

Host Tami Simon: Let’s start right with self-acceptance as a topic that you care about – why is this an important topic to you personally

Elizabeth Gilbert: Well, I mean I’ve kind of been a student of it my whole life because I’ve had to be, because its absence – it’s moments of absence – in my life have brought me the darkest pain I’ve ever been in.

And the only way out of that pain of the absence of self-acceptance was to claw, study, fight, beg and inch my way toward it.

And it’s been what I’ve been up to for a long time, and it’s something that I still have to work on.

And there are times where I lose it. I’d have to find my way back to it again and again and again – which of course always means finding your way back to your heart – it’s the only place you’re ever gonna find it.

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