Why Does Self-Esteem Matter? How to Boost Self-Image with “I Believe In Myself” Bracelets

What is self-esteem and why does it matter.  According to Mayo Clinic, “Self-esteem is your overall opinion of yourself — how you honestly feel about your abilities and limitations.”

Here’s a little quiz to assess if you may suffer from low self-esteem.  If you answer yes to any of these questions, you may have low self-esteem.

• Do you frequently feel dissatisfied with your own actions or decisions?
• Are you afraid to make decisions, because you don’t have confidence that you are making the right choice?
• Do you try for perfection and then get frustrated when perfection isn’t achieved?
• Have others told you that you are overly defensive?
• Are you sensitive to criticism?

According to Mayo Clinic, “When you have healthy self-esteem, you feel good about yourself and see yourself as deserving the respect of others. When you have low self-esteem, you put little value on your opinions and ideas. You might constantly worry that you aren’t good enough.”

Why do some people have confidence and high self-esteem?  What shapes our opinions of ourselves?  Generally, our opinion of ourselves begins to form early in life, based on feedback from others close to us.  Parents, teachers, peers, all have an impact.  If you received mostly negative feedback from those close to you, or were teased, or excessively criticized, you are more likely to struggle as an adult.

The good news is, if you didn’t have positive reinforcement as a child, another major influence on our self-esteem, is our own self-talk!  Your own thoughts, your own focus on either the positive or negative is a major (if not the largest) influence on self-esteem.

Okay, that’s what and how, now, why does it matter?  Your self-esteem affects every area of your life.  Physically, people with low self-esteem are more prone to illnesses like eating disorders, depression or anxiety.  Self-esteem has a major impact on one’s ability to form healthy relationships with others, personal and professional.  When difficulties arise, people with appropriate levels of self-esteem adjust and deal with difficulties much better than those with low self-esteem.

Women and girls are especially prone to issues of low self-esteem.  Jen Landis, the founder of Pincurl Girls, has created products to help us improve or maintain healthy levels of self-esteem by encouraging positive self talk.

Right now, I have eight small shiny bracelets on my left wrist, and four on the right.  What does that mean?  I have had four positive self thoughts so far today.  The “I Believe In Myself” bracelets come in sets of 12.  You put them all on your left wrist when you start the day.  Then each time you have a positive thought, you move a bracelet from the left wrist to the right.  And best of all, you begin to form a habit of focusing on the positive things about yourself and in your life.

Jen Landis was a Master of Fine Arts student and suffered from a crisis of self-esteem.  She decided to start Pincurl Girls and design products and art to help other women or girls that my suffer the same setback that she did.  In addition to the “I Believe in Myself” bracelets, there is artwork, iPhone cases, lunch boxes, and more.