At a workshop given for women supervisors, there were women struggling trying to juggle spinning plates of career, marriage, children, friends, community, aging parents and many other responsibilities. Though I’m not a medical expert, I do read and research what the “experts” say about stress, our self-esteem and our striving for perfectionism.
Self-esteem isn’t something you can see in a mirror or touch, but it affects how you feel. You can’t hear self-esteem but its there every time you talk about yourself or brag how great you are. One of the biggest struggles women have is trying to achieve perfectionism in their skewed vision of self-esteem. If not careful, our self-esteem can drive perfection which is a futile exercise that can’t be reached.
Much of our response to life’s mishaps and problems depends on our perception or expectation of how things should or ought to be. Media plays a major role in forming our expectation of how we should be or what we should have in order to be happy and joyful. One event in life does not determine the end of our story. Our view of life determines how we live our lives, not life’s circumstances. Change requires we take responsibility for our actions and our behavior in how we think and treat others. Healthy self-esteem comes from a balance of roles in life in not allowing one role to drive the other.
Consider the quality view of self-esteem in knowing that you’re okay and worthy of being accepted and respected. Quality self-esteem is a ticket to making good choices about your mind and your body. Without it, you hold back from relationships, friends and challenging experiences. An improved self-esteem leads to more accurate evaluation and acceptance of ourselves as well as others. I would encourage and challenge you to discover your uniqueness and begin to enjoy who you are today, right now.