Self‑esteem and self‑confidence

Self-esteem is about your own sense of worth. Self-esteem comes from within, what do you think of yourself regardless of others' validation. Self-confidence is about your belief in your ability to perform in different situations and contexts. Self-confidence comes from outside and is strengthened by the fact that you are able to do what you undertake.

A good self-esteem makes you less vulnerable to external circumstances and less dependent on what others think about you.  A low self-esteem means that we often perform excessively to feel that we are good enough. This is called performance-based self-esteem and is dependent on external circumstances. This often leads to stress, exhaustion, anxiety and other mental illness.

It's good to try to find a balance between strong self-esteem and good self-confidence. When you know inside that you are worth just as much even if you fail, you dare to challenge yourself and can handle the result. With good self-confidence, you see setbacks as challenges rather than failures, and you know that you have the opportunity to make the changes needed to have a good life.

Tips to boost your self-esteem and self-confidence

• Prioritize taking care of yourself, lay a good foundation with nutritious food, exercise and recovery.
• Address minor issues. By solving these, you strengthen yourself and dare to take on bigger challenges.
• Increase your self-awareness, such as what thoughts you have about yourself and what emotions you are controlled by. It helps you understand why you react differently and how you can change behaviors. Feel free to get help from us at the Student Health Service with this.
• Be kind to yourself. Self-compassion is a good tool to use when life feels difficult or challenging, it's about being as kind to yourself as you are to others in difficult situations.  Self-compassion is the single most important factor that determines our mental well-being. It's about acceptance of both yourself and your current situation, being kind to yourself and having a benevolent attitude. Feel free to try the exercise in the link below.

Link tip:

1177 on self-esteem

Self-compassion exercise video