Develop A Healthy Self-Concept

Everything begins and ends with you.

Your self-concept, or how you view yourself, determines how you will experience life. If it is positive and healthy, you will experience life in a positive and healthy way. If it is shaky and fragile, you will find life's challenges overwhelming and at times, insurmountable.

What is your self-concept?

It is the understanding and knowledge you have of your own existence. It is how you see yourself in relation to others and to your surroundings.

To possess a positive or healthy self-concept you must:

• Know yourself
• Love yourself
• Be True to yourself

In order to meet the challenges of today's complicated world, one must build a solid foundation of self-knowledge, self-love and self-confidence.

A healthy self-concept is more than just having high self-esteem. Although high self-esteem is important, the term itself can be misleading.

Self-esteem is your feelings of self-worth based on your beliefs about being valuable and capable. It is your self-image, either positive or negative, at an emotional level.

When it is solely based on emotion, self-esteem can be wavering and vulnerable to threats. Likewise, if it's obtained mostly from external factors, such as an attractive physical appearance, or being popular, you can feel on top of the world one day, and find yourself disillusioned or disappointed on the next.

Therefore, a healthy self-concept must derive from within. Instead of seeking validation from external sources, or the wavering opinions of others, one must obtain self-esteem as a result of self-reflection and self-analysis. 

What constitutes a healthy self-concept?

• The ability to know yourself; to be able to assess your strengths, weaknesses, talents and potential.

 

• The ability to love and accept yourself as you are, knowing that you can improve and develop any aspects of yourself that you choose.

 

• The ability to be honest with yourself and be true to who you are and what you value.

 

• The ability to take responsibility for your choices and actions.

Developing a healthy self-concept takes deliberate planning and concentrated effort. It also takes acquiring the necessary life skills to take on the many challenges and adversities we face. 

When you have a healthy self-concept, nothing can rattle you or take you off your stride. You are confident,  poised and assured, because you know you are equipped to handle whatever comes your way.