Self-esteem is the term given to the value and self-worth one has for his or herself. Self –esteem can include individual beliefs one has, such as, “I am happy,” and emotional feelings such as pride and victory.
Many times as a teenager, the question of ones self-value causes unnecessary anxiety. Just as a runner needs to train for a marathon, human emotions need to be built up as well. Everyone needs self-esteem; however, work is required to build up emotional strength.
Low self-esteem comes in a variety of ways. Fighting at home between parents and children can cause a lack in self worth, as do teachers who make a student feel ignorant, or a bully that constantly picks on the same person. Low self-esteem can happen to anyone of any social status.
All it takes to make a person feel worthless is one careless remark. This is why it becomes important to think before anything is said or posted about someone.
One extreme incident is in the case of Megan Meier, a thirteen-year-old girl who thought she was making a new friend on the social network Myspace. Eventually the presumed boy she was talking to ended the friendship saying the “world would be a better place” without Megan. She committed suicide the next day.
As it turned out in the tragic case, it was a mother, “pretending” to be a teenage boy to seek revenge on a Megan, who had made her daughter upset.
Although Megan’s case is an extreme, constantly being affected by negative forces causes extreme stress on a person. They begin to see themselves as worthless individuals because they are constantly told of being this “worthless person”. Negative comments and remarks still inflict a person to have self-esteem issues.
Building confidence is one way to reduce the effects of loss in self-esteem. A person needs encouragement in rebuilding mental strength. This mental strength the can be used to attain self-actualization and to maintain a belief in one’s worth.
It sometimes comes down to perspective; how will one view his or herself? Being positive and seeing the glass of one’s own self-worth as half full can be a simple step to regaining confidence.
Everyone has value and contributes to the world. It is the privilege that we, as friends and family have, to share what they bring to the world; it is an honor to share everyone’s inner being.
