Self-esteem is the general opinion a person holds of themselves.

It’s related to self-confidence, but has more to do with your overall feelings of value and self-worth rather than your ability to perform a particular task.

Having low self-esteem can affect many aspects of your life, making life feel more challenging.

However, many strategies can help boost how you feel about yourself and improve your well-being.

Healthline has gathered some practical tips from our in-house editorial team on ways to improve self-esteem.

Remind yourself of your strengths

“A lot of my lowest periods of self-esteem link with my psoriasis flare-ups. To manage that, I try to remind myself that I’m so much more than the things I feel conscious about, and that my chronic condition is just one part of me.

I try to focus on other parts of myself that I feel proud of, particularly if they don’t relate to my appearance, like my creativity, my sense of humour, or the strength of my love for my friends and family.” — Megan

Keep a promise to yourself

“Self-esteem comes from follow-through. Every promise you keep to yourself teaches your nervous system that you’re trustworthy. Confidence comes from doing what you said you would do, even in small ways.” — Nicola

Limit comparison with others

“The most effective way to boost my self-esteem is to remind myself that I am my own person. Comparing myself with other people or others’ successes is a strong way to knock my self-esteem. Leaving myself little reminders (sticky notes are great for this!) that I only need to measure my current self against my past self helps significantly.

I’m not asking myself to value parts of me I don’t like, and I’m not trying to convince myself that I’m “good” enough at times when I don’t feel like that’s the case. I’m simply telling myself to compare myself to me and me alone. It’s not always easy, but it definitely helps!” — Amy

Make self-care a priority

“I take myself on self-dates when I can! This weekend, I went to a bookstore and to dinner by myself. Practicing being alone and being okay with it is a great way to boost self-esteem. Because you are enough!” — Ren

Set yourself a goal

“I know that my biggest learnings and periods of personal growth have happened when I’ve been in uncomfortable situations.

Being out of my comfort zone means I’m growing and, once I’m on the other side of the “hard thing”, I feel proud of myself, more confident, and have higher self-esteem.

So I try to push myself to do things I don’t want to do and put myself in challenging situations. It feels unpleasant at the time, but the payoff is worth it” — Ruth

Notice your wins

“I used to frequently feel bogged down with life-admin tasks and wait until the last minute to complete them, which always led to exhaustion.

Now, I begin each month by writing in a calendar what has to get done that month (budget, taxes, appointments, important phone calls, etc).

Crossing off these tasks – and completing the list! – always boosts my self-esteem. I’ve found that I’m much less stressed and anxious to tackle these things” — Alex

If you find that your self-esteem remains low over time, speak with a doctor or therapist for extra support and guidance.