What is healthy self esteem like?
Healthy self esteem does not imply over confidence. People who have an OK level of self esteem are:
• confident without being overbearing
• not devastated by criticism
• not overly defensive when questioned
• active and achievement orientated without being driven
• mostly happy with themselves as they are
• not easily defeated by setbacks and obstacles
• able to accept and learn from their own mistakes
• unlikely to feel a need to put others down
• open and assertive in communicating their needs
• self reliant and resourceful without refusing help
• not overly worried about failing or looking foolish
• not harshly or destructively critical of themselves
• not aggressively driven to prove themselves - people with normal self esteem are happy with themselves as they are
• able to laugh at themselves, not taking themselves too seriously
People with normal self esteem might doubt themselves from time to time but their sense of self worth consistently reverts to a balanced state. Having healthy self esteem does not mean feeling perfect. It is just not being continually plagued by self doubt. Having normal self esteem means not being excessively high one minute and feeling completely worthless the next.
