Self-esteem activities give us a chance of building our esteem and confidence that is so important to succeed in life. There are a lot of activities for adults and kids that can be done in groups as well as by single individuals.
Everybody faces hurdles in life; the difference is some emerge stronger as they overcome them, while some just easily give up. Hurdles are same for everyone. Besides the skill, what decides whether a person is a loser or a winner is his self-esteem. High self-esteem provides one the motivation to give his best when faced with any situation in life.
What a person with high self-esteem sees is his strengths rather than his flaws. Causes of low esteem may be many, however the good news is that self-esteem can be built, not only for kids but also for adults. Here are some activities that will help one see one’s strengths and boost faith in one’s capabilities.
Exercises for Individuals
Focus on Positive Attributes
The first step towards building self-esteem is to view oneself in positive light. We lack self-esteem because we either fail to realize our positive traits or have lost sight of them. The activity is to list down at least five talents or positive traits of yours.
Write your talents on a colored sheet of paper and paste it on your cupboard. Write them in big font letters so that they are visible even from a distance. You could let this list be stuck right across on your cupboard so that you can see it often or you could take it a step further by converting it to some fun activity. To do that, make seven boxes across every trait, each box corresponding to a day of the week. Put a star in the box for the day when you score on a particular trait. To begin with, let the positive points be character traits like honesty, hardworking or truthfulness, as the chances of enacting these positive points is greater than specific talents like singing or dancing.
Set Goals
Set weekly or monthly realistic goals. Tasks should not be very easy, but not impossible either. However, the target should be a little outside of your comfort zone. Reward yourself when you achieve the goal. You could also motivate yourself by circling the days in the calendar when your goal is achieved.
Pick Some Activity
Pick up an activity that would give you a sense of achievement; it could be anything from making puppets to planting trees. The idea is to allow oneself the sense of accomplishment. Another good option along the same lines is to pick up a hobby. Since you’ll be doing something you love, the result would naturally be good. The whole experience would motivate you, and ease out the feeling of low self-esteem.
Bring in Positivity in Life
Another way of instilling positive thinking in oneself is to stick positive and encouraging slogans in your room. This could also include posters and pictures that denote some form of achievement or success. Most of our doubts about our efficiency are in the mind, more specifically in the subconscious mind. Once we feed optimism to our subconscious mind, we would have no option but to feel positive about ourselves.
Use Positive Affirmations
Make a list of the affirmations given below, and stick it someplace where you’ll be seeing it everyday.
~ I love myself.
~ I WILL succeed.
~ I am an achiever.
~ I am smart.
~ I choose happiness.
~ I WILL be happy.
Don’t just read these lines. Take some time and repeat these as if you are instructing yourself. These positive self affirmations are known to have brought results, and build a type of self-confidence that finds roots deep within one’s psyche.
Activities for Groups
Activity 1
Divide the group into smaller groups of two. Blindfold one member of each group and instruct the other member to guide the blindfolded one through a maze of ‘no access zone’ (say a ‘minefield’) created within a small area outdoors. Being able to guide another person when he has let his trust rest completely on you can be a good self-esteem booster. This is one of the good activities for adults.
Activity 2
This can be done only after the members in the group have come to know each other well. Seat all the members in a circle. Play some music. Pass a ball around the circle. Stop the music. The person who holds the ball when the music was stopped has to say something nice that he/she observed in the person sitting on either side.
Activity 3
Make all the group members stand beside one another, arm in arm. Let their legs be in touch with the legs of the members on either side. Now ask the group to walk forward with their legs in touch with each other’s. Give them certain distance to cover in a specific time. This activity could be performed with kids as well.
Exercises for Kids
Laying a solid foundation for self-esteem is very important for kids. However, ways of building self-esteem in children are not very difficult. As a parent, one does not need special activities for kids. Involving them in household chores, seeking their help while shopping for grocery, asking them to babysit their younger siblings are some activities that parents can use for their kids. The key is to appreciate a child’s accomplishment.
Parents should keep in mind if they want to boost their child’s self-esteem is that they should never criticize their children, more so not in public. Parents should also refrain from making comparisons between siblings. Give your child responsibility and encourage him to complete it. Guide him when he comes across a hurdle and hold him when he falters.
Although there are a number of activities, it is important to realize that the best endeavor towards boosting one’s self-esteem activity is to build trust in oneself. Stop brooding over what you don’t have and see your strengths. After all, no one is perfect.