You know the importance of talking to yourself with compassion and kindness when it comes to improving your self-esteem. The kinder the self-talk, the greater the self-esteem.

Self Esteem for the Body

Self-esteem includes not only the way we think about ourselves, but also involves how we treat our bodies. If we want to improve our self-esteem, we need to talk to ourselves in positive ways and treat our bodies in positive ways. And you know what that means: eating well and getting exercise.

If you are a good parent, then you feed your children healthy food and make sure they are active. You put them to bed at a decent time so they get plenty of sleep. You help them with homework and make sure they go to school.

If you have a pet that you love and treasure, then you are likely to make sure it eats well and gets exercise. If you have a garden that you are proud of, you are sure to “feed” it with plant food and be sure it gets plenty of water. If you have a car you love, you probably put high quality gasoline in the tank and be sure to engage in good automobile maintenance habits.

Treating Your Body with Love

We take care of the people and things we love and value. That goes for the way we treat our own bodies. Does the way you treat your body reflect your level of self-esteem?

People who truly value themselves, who have a healthy self-esteem, demonstrate that positive self-worth by what they put into their bodies and by making sure to get exercise.

This does not mean people with healthy self-esteem never eat junk food. It doesn’t mean they work out every single day. What it means is that the majority of the time, people with healthy self-esteem eat healthy food and make sure to get exercise on a regular basis.

It can be difficult to read these words, but not liking them doesn’t make them any less true.

Bottom line: In order to improve your self-esteem, it is necessary to treat your body like it is of great value. Valuing our bodies means we care for our bodies in healthy ways.

TRY THIS: Every morning, remind yourself that all of you is important. For the next 30 days, tell yourself one way you will demonstrate your value of self by writing down five healthy foods you will eat that day (then eat them). Tell yourself exactly what kind of exercise you will engage in that day to demonstrate your appreciation for your body (and then do it).

These behaviors will result in improved self-esteem.