What is self-worth?

You've heard of all the "self" words before... self-compassion, self-acceptance, self-love, self-care, and so on. There are so many words to describe how we feel about ourselves. Self-worth is a critical concept- perhaps the most important one!

Self-worth is how you think and feel about your value as a person. There was a time not that long ago, where social media did not exist. Now, it is too easy to get sucked into a digital world, comparison traps and anxiety-provoking thinking habits chip away at your self-worth and value. Tuning to social media to validate one's self-worth is not uncommon but is not a healthy practice.

How Do You Validate Your Self-worth In A Healthy Way?

External validation or validation from people in your life like parents, a spouse, boss, friends can feel great for a moment. Are you obsessively seeking validation from others? It is critical for one's mental health that we do not rely on others or social media to feel good. It is not fair to you or the person whom you are seeking validation. It can be exhausting, regularly seeking validation from others. Likewise, it is exhausting affirming and validating the same person over and over. Relying solely on external validation can lead to anxiety or depression and causes conflict in relationships.

There are many healthy ways to validate your self-worth. Here are three tips to help improve your self-worth.

Be kind to yourself

Being kind to yourself is very important. Stop being so hard on yourself. Very often, we are overly critical of ourselves. Being kind to oneself can be a challenge when your self-worth is low. Write a list of your most positive attributes and then read the list to yourself aloud every morning or anytime you feel the need for validation.

Acknowledge your strengths

You have strengths; everyone does. We are all born gifted with unique talents or skills. Identify your strengths and use them.

Accept your limitations

Remember, we are human. In other words, we are not perfect. No one expects perfection from you, and you should not expect perfection from yourself. I love to tell my spouse," I am not perfect, But I am pretty darn good!"

Social media metrics do not determine your self-worth. Likes, shares, and views are not an accurate reflection of who you are as a person or your self-worth. Continually checking your social media for a dose of validation is crippling to relationships and productivity in the real world. Be mindful of how social media can shape how you seek validation and determine your self-worth.