Self-esteem: Discussion Questions
- What is self-esteem?
➢ Internal thoughts and feelings that guide how you think and value yourself
➢ It is a sense of your self-worth
➢ Self-esteem is about trying your best and feeling proud of yourself. It is about feeling good about the things that make you unique or special
➢ How you feel about yourself can change, it is fluid - Why is self-esteem important?
➢ Helps you become aware of yourself, your feelings and intuitions
➢ Helps you to make better choices for yourself (e.g., setting healthy boundaries, etc.) - How does the language you use to talk to yourself affect you?
➢ Negative self-talk: can increase your self-doubt, lead you to feel unworthy or unimportant, be a toxic cycle of not believing in yourself
➢ Positive self-talk: can increase your self-confidence, lead to you believe what you have to say is important and valued, help you make healthy choices - How does it make you feel when other people use derogatory language about you?
➢ It is hurtful and makes you feel bad about yourself
➢ Can lead to low self-esteem and self-doubt if messages are internalized
➢ Recognizing how these negative messages makes us feel can help us make better choices around setting boundaries with individuals who says these things about us - How can self-esteem be protective
➢ It can help us become more proactive around taking care of ourselves and doing things that make us feel good about ourselves
➢ It can prevent us from being influenced by negative messages (both from others and ourselves)
➢ It can help us become more in tune with our intuition and feelings to make better and healthier choices - What are some ways you can boost your self-esteem?
➢ Engage in positive self-talk
➢ Put down boundaries in situations and with people that do not make you feel good about yourself
➢ Be in healthy relationships
➢ Make good choices
➢ Help others because they feel good knowing you care and you feel good for helping
➢ Doing things you enjoy and engaging in self-care - What can you do if you cannot boost your self-esteem?
➢ Turn to your support networks – friends, family, teachers, family friends, etc.
➢ Do things that make you feel good about yourself and/or lifts your mood
➢ If you are struggling with a problem or worry, get help from a trusted adult and/or a resource like Kids Help Phone
