ACTIVITY 1

Your self-esteem is your understanding of your own, unique characteristics. However, your own view of yourself is not the only influence on your self-esteem. Things other people say about us and how other people treat us also influence our self-esteem. People who damage or boost your self-esteem include the following:

• Your family What does your family expect from you? Does your family support you or criticise you? Do you sometimes feel that you do not live up to your family’s expectations?

• Your friends and peer group Do they sometimes make you feel inferior? Do you feel that you are not as strong/pretty/clever as the others? Do your friends accept you for who you are?

• Media The media puts pressure on teenagers to act and look a certain way. Do you feel fat and ugly compared to the perfect movie stars? That is the media’s mission. They advertise products promising they will make you feel better about yourself.

• School expectations You might feel that your school and teachers’ expectations of you are too high. It makes you feel stressed and when you cannot meet their expectations, you feel like a failure.

ACTIVITY 1

1. Make a list of any FIVE things people have told you that influenced your selfesteem negatively. 2. Discuss how it made you feel with your facilitator/friend/parent. 3. How did you handle these situations? Discuss it with your facilitator/friend/parent.

1.2 Personal successes as a contributing factor to positive self-esteem

Before you can achieve success, you must have good self-esteem. A successful person feels good about himself/herself because he/she has reached their goals. You must work at good self-esteem. The following elements can contribute to it: • Stand and walk with good posture. It will immediately make you feel better about yourself. • Learn from your mistakes and make positive improvements. • Cultivate a positive attitude to life. • Love yourself. • Spend time with people who encourage you and influence your positively.