A) Developing a Positive Self-Image


WHAT IS SELF-ESTEEM?
Self-esteem is how a person feels about themselves and what they do.


​Someone with positive self-esteem will approach things confidently. Someone with low or negative self-esteem will think they are not good at things, don’t deserve love or support and that situations will work out badly for them.
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Low Self Esteem

Have you ever always thought in your mind, “I’m stupid” or “I can’t do that” even before you have tried? 
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Picture
Love Yourself.
This is an example of a low perception of yourself, also called low self-esteem.

Children with low self-esteem:
  • Have a negative image of themselves and may lack confidence
  • Find it hard to make and keep friendships, and may feel victimised by others
  • Tend to avoid new things and find change hard
  • Can't deal well with failure.
  • Are not proud of what they achieve and always think they could have done better.
  • Are constantly comparing themselves to their peers in a negative way.
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How can you improve your self-esteem?
  • Stop criticising yourself too much
  • Focus on what is going well for you
  • Aim for effort rather than 100% perfection
  • Look at mistakes as opportunity to learn
  • Set small, achievable goals
  • Recognize what you can change and what you can’t. 
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Body Image

How do you feel about the way you look? ​
How do adolescents fell about the way the look? Look around at your friends. Everyone is unique and thus have different physical appearances. You cannot change your genes or what you were born with. However, you can enhance yourself positively to look better.
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For example, if we are overweight, we can reduce our weight by adopting our healthy eating patterns and exercise regularly. Choosing complimentary patterns of clothes can bring out the best of our body shapes, regardless of body size.
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Confidence

Building confidence takes time. Self-confidence includes your abilities, appearances, attitudes and aspirations. If you are positive and confident, you will act positive. Let’s try this exercise to get you started on your way to good self-confidence!

EXERCISE: STRENGTHS IN ME

Activity: Write down the list of things in Task 1 and Task 2

Instructions:
Task 1: Practice What You Are Good At!
Write down 3 talents or qualities you are good at and enjoy doing. Now pick one strength or skill to focus on. Write down ideas on how you can find some time to practice and do it once a week or more.

Task 2: Make a "Yes! I Can" list.
Start a long list of what you can do - even the small things. Are there some things people do not know about you?
For example: I can draw cartoons, I can fix a flat tire, I can ride a bike, I can play the guitar, I can cook delicious sambal, I can make a robot, I take cool photos, etc.