ELI5: self-esteem

What is self-esteem?

Self-esteem is how much you like yourself and think you're a good person [5]. It's like having a friendly voice in your head that either cheers you on or puts you down [4]. Everyone has their own opinion about themselves, and that opinion is your self-esteem.

Why does it matter?

When you feel good about yourself, you're braver about trying new things and don't get as upset when someone says something mean [4]. People with healthy self-esteem like themselves and value what they can do [5]. It helps you be happier and kinder to others.

What does low self-esteem look like?

If you have low self-esteem, you might worry a lot about what people think of you, or feel scared to fail at anything [4][6]. You might be really hard on yourself or always trying to make everyone else happy instead of thinking about what you want [4].

How can you build it up?

You can improve your self-esteem by noticing the things you're actually good at, being kind to yourself when you mess up, and listening to helpful feedback instead of being scared of it [4][5]. Spending time doing things you love and hanging around people who believe in you helps too [3].