Self-esteem is our sense of self-worth and how we view and think about ourselves. Self-esteem is the value we place on ourselves and how we place that value on ourselves as a person. When we have healthy, positive and an authentic value on ourselves as a person, we have a healthy self-esteem. When we have unhealthy, unrealistic, negative and a fear-based value on ourselves as a person, we have an unhealthy self-esteem. An unhealthy self-esteem is where we value ourselves negatively and/or place an overall negative value on oneself as a person.

 

When we have healthy self-esteem, we feel confident, authentic and do not feel a need to overcompensate. This goes hand-in-hand with being assertive; that is, showing an assertive communication style. Assertiveness training includes learning how to set healthy boundaries, to use respectful communication with self and others, learning how to say no, learning to meet your needs, as well as compromise healthily with others, listening and empathising with others and learning to acknowledge and name problematic behaviour without blaming a person.