.: FeaR :.
Abuse has many faces. Psychological, mental, emotional, and physical. But there is also spiritual abuse. There are those who use the other four mundane forms to achieve the fifth. They oppress, posture, and withhold their affections, as a means of manipulation and domination. They are weak, and those who allow this to happen to them, are weaker. Those who walk away...they are the Strong.
There are many ways to overcome fear, but the principle means to achieve this end is to have courage. Courage does not mean that you do not feel fear. Courage means that you feel the fear, but act anyway. It requires an inner respect, an indomitable spirit, and the courage to take chances in order to survive. These traits do not come overnight, but they CAN be acquired. They are seldom inborn, and even more seldom can they be taught. It all comes from within. You must find the path to your inner self, for yourself. No one can set you upon it.
There are markers, however, which will help guide you once you have begun your journey. One of the key ways to succeed in life is through confidence. If you are confident, you can achieve anything. Unfortunately, not everyone bears that state of self confidence. It takes a large amount of confidence in order to speak in public, give a speech, or participate in the school play. What people often fail to understand is that confidence is directly related to self-respect. The more confidence you have, the more self-esteem you have about yourself and the better about you, you will feel.
Low self-image will have an extremely negative impact on the quality of your life. It makes you feel insecure and leads you to take fewer risks, which in turn means that you limit both your personal and spiritual opportunities for growth. Low self-respect holds a person back and prevents them from fully exploring who they really are. However, talking about developing self-esteem and boosting a person’s self-esteem are two entirely different things. It is only with time, effort, and practice that one can develop their self-esteem and move on to lead a full spiritual life.
The following are some tips, which [with practice] can help you develop your self esteem:
1. Learn to respect yourself. Self respect is a key element of self-esteem. If you learn to respect who you are, even with all your flaws and weaknesses, you will be able to see what you are actually capable of. Self respect also means sometimes putting yourself first and learning to accept that your feelings are also important. Do not let people walk over you! Respect your own worth.
2. Do not compare yourself to other people. This is very important because low self esteem often develops when people compare the achievements of others with their own and feel inadequate. Do not compare yourself to anyone, and learn to appreciate who you are as an individual and unique person.
3. Set achievable goals. By setting goals, which are too high, and failing, we tend to lose self esteem; therefore, it is necessary that we set goals, which are achievable. No matter how small the goal achieved, it is a great way to prove to yourself that you can accomplish your dreams.
4. Do not put yourself down! People with low self-esteem often have a habit of putting themselves down or speaking negatively about themselves. By focusing on your more positive characteristics, you can raise your self esteem and feel better about yourself.
5. Accept compliments. People with low self esteem often have a hard time accepting compliments as they do not feel that they deserve it. By accepting the praise of others you can learn to feel good about yourself and know what your positive qualities are.
6. Highlight your strengths. By highlighting your strengths you can easily develop your self esteem, as you will learn to understand what makes you who you are. By playing on your strengths you can achieve the confidence you need to develop your self worth.
7. Positive support. A good way to develop your self esteem is to only have people around you who provide you with positive support. People who put you down can only damage your self esteem and make you feel unworthy.
