Facts on Building A Teen's Self-Esteem
Friday, March 27, 2009
1. Build Self-Esteem Early
Self-esteem is literally how somebody perceives himself, or more accurately, how highly he regards himself. Self-esteem is affected in many different ways but typically begins with how we think we're perceived by our parents and later our teachers, other adults and peers. Self-esteem is an important factor for many individuals to build successful personal and professional lives. A healthy sense of self-esteem begins early, but is perhaps most fragile and transient during the teen years.
2. Teen Years Can Impact Self-Esteem for Life
Teens have a lot of stress, and a lot of it has to do with peer pressure and body issues. The changing hormonal levels of the adolescent brain can wreak havoc on a person's sense of self. The identity isn't completely formed until well into one's 20s, so self-esteem is an important factor in the teen years. However, negative body issues or anxiety about relationships or peer groups can cause teens to become depressed, angry or agitated, or turn to drugs and alcohol in an effort to stop negative feelings of self-loathing.
3. Look for Negative Influences
Helping a teen to develop a healthy self-image is important to helping her to become a healthy adult. Recognizing negative influences in a teen's life can be a big factor in how effective self-esteem construction will be. Negative peer groups or negative media influences can be quite detrimental to the budding teen's self image, so monitoring and being aware of who your teen hangs out with, and what media she takes in, is important in understanding what messages she's receiving. However, you must do this monitoring in a nonintrusive and open way that lets her know you trust her and that you want to be there as she grows into a healthy adult.
4. Bond and Relate to Your Teen
Staying involved and updated on what the teen is interested in is an important way to bond and stay connected to him, which will help him to know that there are people on his side. Trying to understand his special talents and interests will let him know that what he thinks and has to say is valuable. Active listening skills are very important when dealing with teenagers. Learning to engage him and trying to live in his world (even for an hour or so a day) can be beneficial in helping him build a sense of self that's securely rooted in talents and pursuits.
5. Work on Your Self-Esteem, Too
Of course, adults try to be good examples for their children, but there are quite a few "train wreck" adults running around who do nothing but harm to budding adolescents. Learning how to be a positive role model and how to inhabit a healthy sense of self-esteem yourself is an effective way of building a teenager's confidence. Practice what you preach and you'll be greatly respected.
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Last Updated: April 15, 2008
