Self esteem

Self esteem is an individuals evaluation of their own self worth. Self esteem is not fixed and can change over time and between situations. For example, you may feel better about yourself as a friend or a sportsperson than you do of yourself as a student.

Your self esteem can be affected by your own "inner voice", that is the way you speak to yourself and the expectations you place on yourself. It can also be affected by the way you are treated by those around you.  

When you perceive that you are as good as or better than your peers on a task, your self esteem may improve. Where you perceive that you are not as capable as others your self esteem may drop. It can be easy to think that other students know more than you, are smarter than you, or don't have to try as hard as you do.

Self-esteem and your study

It will be important for you that while you are at Deakin University that you don't rely heavily on just one option for maintaining your self esteem. Make sure that you are doing things other than study that you feel good about. This includes spending time with people who respect you and treat you well, and who appreciate what you do for them.

When you study, enjoy your successes, learn from failures, feel good about yourself for the effort you put in, the contribution you made to class, meeting the commitment of attending classes, balancing study and work, and understanding most of what you read. Feel good about every step you take, even if sometimes it goes in the wrong direction, or takes you a while to get where you are going.

Quick tips

• Acknowledge your strengths and feel good about them. It is often helpful to make a list of positive things about yourself at the end of each day.
• Get involved in something you enjoy or that interests you, such as a sport or hobby.
• Use positive self-talk and challenge any of your negative thoughts.
• Keep good company  by spending time with friends who have positive attitudes towards life and who respect you for who you are
• Set yourself realistic goals, prioritise your tasks and complete things one step at a time. Reward yourself when you complete tasks.

Taking it further

Reach Out information relating to self esteem and how you can improve it.

Getting help

• Make an appointment with Deakin University Counselling Service