11 Ways Highly Sensitives Can Increase Their Self-Esteem

Self-confidence and self-esteem are closely related and sometimes overlap, but there is a difference between them.

While self-confidence is about believing in our abilities, self-esteem is about valuing yourself, regardless of your skills and accomplishments.

Highly Sensitives can benefit from increasing their self-esteem.

It’s not surprising that a lot of Highly Sensitives can or have experienced periods of depression and/or anxiety.

After all, we’re “different” – the ones who do things differently, sense things differently, and see things differently.

The good news is we can control how often and to what degree we experience these emotions by investing in growing our self-esteem.

High self-esteem leads to greater resilience, improved mental and physical health, better relationships, and increased self-confidence, ultimately improving our overall well-being and ability to accept and navigate life’s challenges.

Let’s look at the eleven ways we can increase our self-esteem. You may already be doing some of these.

 

1. Commit to a regular exercise routine

If you don’t already have one, creating a regular exercise routine is a must. When you exercise, your body releases “feel-good” hormones called endorphins—natural mood boosters that reduce stress and improve your sense of well-being.

You need to move your body more, for 30 minutes a day.

If you aren’t sweating a bit when exercising, you aren’t exercising.

But don’t limit yourself to that 30 minutes.

You can explore other options, like “bust a move,” and create your own little 5-minute dance-offs. Shake it out—great to practise when you’ve been sitting too long.

Since about 70% of Highly Sensitives lean more towards introversion, I recommend exercising solo—an invigorating walk or run, for instance. This way, you’re simultaneously recharging (by spending time on your own) and boosting those endorphins.

You can think of economical and fun ways to do this, too.

For example, instead of driving to the grocery store, you can walk there and pack your groceries in a backpack.

This way, you’re doing three things at the once: exercising, lifting weight, and crossing an errand off your list.

 

2. Avoid comparing

We’re trained to do this, and it’s helpful when comparing the prices of grocery items.

But it’s a futile and ridiculous concept to apply to people, especially Highly Sensitive people.

You aren’t like anyone else, and it’s supposed to be that way.

Each Highly Sensitive Person is unique.

You have a unique way of seeing and interacting with the world around you, and this is a gift.

Why ruin your gift by trying to compare yourself to someone else?

You only need to compare yourself to the person you were yesterday, a year, or five years ago.

How you evolve, learn, and grow is how you can gauge your progress.

 

3. Cultivate a curious mindset

Being open to learning new things every day is a habit that will serve you well.

Curiosity is something we’re born with; it’s nature’s way of ensuring that our species survives.

When we wonder, ask questions, and become curious, we step outside of what we think we know and begin exploring and experimenting.

It allows us to think outside the box (something we’re inclined to do anyway) and generate innovative ideas.

When we become curious about ourselves, we’re open to growth, embracing new experiences, and stepping out of our comfort zones.

Combining this habit with previous knowledge allows you to see new patterns and solutions.

Be sure to monitor your self-talk when you’re doing this.

There are no mistakes; there are only learning opportunities.

 

4. Practise self-care

Playing or listening to music, creating art, investing time in our favourite hobby(ies), are some great ways to practice self-care.

There are many ways to practise self-care.

When practising self-care, a good place to start is to become aware of your life rhythm.

Are you a night person, or a morning person, or an afternoon person?

It’s important for Highly Sensitives to understand their own rhythm (which will change as we age) to maximize our “productive” times and our “resting” times.

This means understanding the importance of resting our nervous system, which is geared to pick up everything in our environments.

This is the most important aspect of practising self-care.

 

5. Invest in a personal relationship with the Creator

Our spiritual state is just as important as our physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being.

Developing a personal relationship with your Creator, whatever word you assign to that – I call it The Light, some call it God, some Buddha, Allah, etc. will serve you well.

You don’t need to go to a physical place to converse with the Creator; you can do so wherever and whenever you like.

How will you benefit from investing in a relationship with your Creator?

Well, most artists will say they dreamt of an idea or a solution that just “popped” into their heads.

But what happened was that, in that moment, they were connected to their Creator and, therefore, their intuition – which is one of the ways the Creator speaks to us.

The Creator is mysterious and has mysterious ways, which we’ll never be able to rationalize.

However, the prerequisites are faith, hope, and gratitude—three potent energies.

You get what you give, and this is especially true when it comes to the Creator.

If you invest in this relationship, you can be sure the Creator is reciprocal and will invest in you.

 

6. Get curious, become familiar with and experiment with how Energy works

One of the practices we explore in Level 1 of the HSP World Mastery Program is beginning to understand how energy works.

We begin by experimenting with plants.

This helps us understand their energy and our own energy.

We can then begin to distinguish between our own energy, others’ energy, and our intuition (the Creator’s energy).

It also helps us recognize when we’re projecting our energy onto someone else, knowingly or unknowingly, or when someone else is projecting their energy toward us.

Keep in mind that your only responsibility is managing your energy.

 

7. Set Goals and reward yourself

If we aren’t learning and growing, we’re stagnant, and stagnant energy is dull.

This is why it’s essential to continue setting goals for yourself, regardless of age.

You don’t need a massive list of goals; a few at a time will do.

For example, if you don’t exercise regularly, you can set a goal of exercising five times a week for 30 minutes.

Another goal could be to ensure you stay hydrated throughout the day.

An essential part of setting a goal is thinking about how to reward yourself once you achieve it.

This will give you added incentive while working towards achieving your goal.

Enjoying your reward after you achieve your goal will double your pleasure, increase your self-esteem and motivate you to make another goal.

 

8. Practise Gratitude

Get into the habit of practising gratitude, saying “Thank you.”

Nothing is guaranteed in this life, and an attitude of entitlement is a sure sign you’re going the wrong way.

However, you can easily change this.

Recognizing and appreciating what you have daily is a habit that will serve you well.

Some examples of appreciating what you have are: I’m thankful I have clean air to breathe, I’m grateful I can taste food and water, and I’m thankful I can enjoy music.

These things are a big deal, yet we take them for granted.

If you didn’t have them, how might that affect how much you enjoy your life?

 

9. Practise being assertive

For Highly Sensitives there will be opportunities for you to practise being assertive.

Being assertive means making decisions in your best interest (if you’re smart, you’ll do this with guidance from the Creator).

It means you stand up for yourself, honestly express your feelings, and advocate for yourself.

Since most people, not just Highly Sensitives, struggle with boundaries, you’ll encounter opportunities to practice assertiveness.

How you handle each opportunity will give you more information to continue building on and improving.

 

10. Invest in a positive support network

Just like investing in our relationship with the Creator, we must invest some of our time in a positive support network.

This may or may not include your family members or current friends.

Not everyone is ready or willing to increase their self-esteem.

Your positive support network can include anyone from the corner store clerk you enjoy chats with, your family doctor, a friend you volunteer with, your community librarian, a family member who “gets” you, or the neighbour you go on walks with occasionally.

Avoid choosing only people in your own age group and/or gender.

We can learn a lot from one another, and sharing our perspectives and experiences helps us continue to exercise our emotional intelligence and empathy muscle, a natural strength Highly Sensitives possess.

 

11. Create an uplifting environment for yourself

Think about the different environments where you felt uplifted.

What were some of the things you noticed about that environment?

Was it the;

• Colour of paint on the walls?
• Artwork on the walls?
• Lack of the above (perhaps a more minimalist style)?
• How it smelled?
• Air temperature?
• Number of living plants in it?
• How much furniture was in the room?

Answering these questions will give you some ideas on making your home environment a place where you feel uplifted.

 

By trying these eleven ways to increase your self-esteem, you’ll experience many benefits, improve your experience of life, and find new ways to improve it.

When we embrace the idea of evolving and growing as a natural way of being, we open the door to opportunities to expand our life experience.

Could you use a boost to your self-esteem?