10 Life-changing Ways to Respect Yourself for Women with Low Self-Esteem ...

1. Only Settle for What You Deserve

Each one of us should know what we deserve to have in life (hint: that's a lot!) but sometimes we find ourselves settling for less than this. This is unhealthy for a number of reasons but mainly because we will only end up feeling unsatisfied and unfulfilled with what we're receiving rather than what we deserve to receive in comparison.

Respect yourself by knowing what your standards are so that you always know the point where you should settle in any given situation, or you can walk away and keep searching!

2. Stand up for Yourself

Letting someone take advantage or walk over you will do you no favours if you're used to not standing up for yourself. This can easily lead to low self-esteem and a lack of self confidence you'll take with you into the future and every situation to come.

One great way to develop respect for yourself is by standing up for yourself when it's necessary - everyone should know your worth, just as you do!

3. Look after Yourself

Taking care of yourself is one of the most basic but also most important things you can do for yourself. On top of that, it's quite easy to do once you get into habit of doing it daily!

It's respectful to look after your mind, soul and body, and you can achieve these in simple ways such as maintaining a regular exercise, balanced sleep cycle, healthy diet and taking a small amount of time in your busy daily life to simply have a break and/or rest.

4. Pursue Happiness

Every single person on this planet will thrive and perform better when they're happy, so why not pursue happiness? This is a great sign of respect for ourselves because at the end of the day we all deserve happiness in our lives.

One easy way to pursue happiness is to indulge in your hobbies and interests and do more of what you love! We often feel happiest when we're doing things we love, so make sure you take the time to do this for yourself!

5. Believe in Yourself

In life we may come across others who don't believe in us and this can often be disheartening and lead to low self-esteem. Although we can't change the opinion others will have of us, we can ensure we believe in ourselves so that you're never feeling let down or disheartened.

To believe in ourselves is to maintain a healthy level of self-respect, as we will always achieve more and go further.

6. Make Time for Yourself

It's easy to get caught up in a hectic lifestyle, trying to keep up with everything we have to do on a daily basis, but it's important to get into the healthy habit of making time for ourselves! We work hard (and achieve a lot) and need to be rewarded for this by simply having time for ourselves.

This could be anything from taking a hot bubble bath, to watching your favourite movie, reading a good book, pampering yourself at the local spa or salon and so much more!

7. Get to Know Yourself

It's important to get to know yourself so that you fully understand what you want in life and can start going after it, naturally.

8. Practice Positive Self-talk

Positive self-talk or affirmations are an awesome way to really internalise how wonderful you are. Sit down and think about one or more things that you love about yourself. Then, write it on a piece of paper and stick it up on your wall or on your mirror. Read it throughout the day and speak it out loud - believe it!

9. Exercise

When you exercise, you realise 'happy hormones' called endorphins. And although many of us trudge and struggle to run or lift a few weights, it really does have a positive effect on how we think and feel about ourselves.

10. Celebrate the Small Things

So many times, those who suffer from low self-confidence always have an excuse for not rewarding themselves. If they succeed in a test, they'll say that it was only because their friend helped them study, or when they get asked out by a great guy, they think that there's an ulterior motive. Now is the time to stop the excuses and really celebrate every and any achievement that comes your way because - you DESERVE it!

An easy way you can get to know yourself by simply spending time with yourself, doing solo and independent activities where you're not distracting by the things around you. Another great way is to travel, as this will expose you to new cultures in a new, very different environment where you can gain perspective and learn more about yourself.