As a teenager, feeling good about who I was – that is, having confidence in everything I did was an uphill battle. Not because I was this little girl but because I always heard my father confessing failure to me whenever he came back home drunk.

This built negative thoughts in me and eventually led to the loss of my self-esteem.

Like it happened to me, it is happening to many teenagers out there. Having a low image of yourself is something that damages your participation and mental growth.

But because I went through this and now I am someone strong after achieving lots of things, I believe every teenager can be the same.

I know building your self-esteem and confidence is one of those things that will help make your life joyful and more successful.

I have a few tips for you that I got from my teacher who is also a counsellor. They have helped me so much and I believe they will perhaps help you too.

Well, before we start, you need to know what low self-esteem means; the negative degree to which you value yourself.

It will make you act indifferently, negatively to the various events that occur in your life.

Your reactions, responses and how you choose to organize yourself in the midst of difficulties is what shows your level of esteem.

The first step is staying relaxed and being laid-back in general. This will help you see the bigger picture of who you are.

Remember, that you are not good at everything so when you fail in some areas of life, it does not mean that you are a failure, it simply means that you have learnt a new way of doing something.

As long as you realize that, you will stop condemning yourself.Come to realize that nobody is perfect - not even close.

It may not always seem this way, but it is true. So if you were not born perfect, that’s ok. You have a personality and a perspective on the world that is your own and completely valuable.

So all you need to build are the things you believe you are so good at. These will make you feel good and better and will build your self-confidence.

Finally, always celebrate your achievements however small they are. This keeps you going and takes away the bad feeling you have at your failures.

Give credit where credit is due. Try saying, ‘You did it! Or you rule! And guess what? You can gear up for bigger, harder projects, too!’ After you have done this, feel the difference in your life.

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