If You Want To Feel So Much Better About Yourself, Say Hello To These 8 Habits
People who feel good about themselves can shoulder almost anything.
Getty Images | Unsplash Sometimes, picking yourself up and being proud of your identity can be challenging. But you need to commit to building healthy self-esteem. Like most things in life, self-confidence doesn’t come without practice. Be gentle with yourself, but remember you can change and feel so much better about yourself.
I know what it’s like to feel uninspired and just plain icky. Often, I skip vital yet simple habits that maintain my self-respect and enthusiasm for life.
If you want to feel so much better about yourself, say hello to these habits:
1. Learn something daily for at least 20 minutes
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Daily learning and note-taking have been shown to better internalize the focus of the study. Whether via books, apps, videos, or courses, the daily study shouldn’t end at college.
It’s a practice that can lead to exponential growth, especially when you go deep on a topic to develop mastery in something specific and helpful to the world.
2. Go for a pointless walk
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We can avoid walks when our days are busy because they seem low-priority. But what if walking without a specific aim was one of the most valuable things you could do?
You could also take a new route to work. When we understand the need for daily motion and reflection to fuel our creativity and raise our frequency, walks become ‘non-negotiable.’
Going for a pointless walk is often about walking as a tool for mental processing, stress reduction, and simply being present in the moment.
According to a 2021 study on leisure walking, you allow your mind to wander and engage with your surroundings without a specific goal or destination, which can be surprisingly beneficial for mental well-being.
3. Do one worthwhile thing
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Ask yourself this: Of all the stuff I could do today, what’s one thing I can do next that would make this day worthwhile?
The nature of the task would depend on your mental and physical capacity, so if you’re struggling, something like washing the dishes might be the thing. Focus on one thing at a time, and prioritize the priorities. This is how to make significant progress quickly.
4. Fix one tiny problem
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We all have a list of to-do items that are growing thick. Most of those items aren’t as important as we think.
Knock off one thing on that list right now that takes less than 15 minutes. This is a great way to give ourselves an identity boost.
Do one little thing, and now you’re a ‘doer’ in your mind. Crucial. Nothing else will boost your mood and productivity than creating momentum, even if it’s a tiny task.
Focusing on one problem at a time is primarily linked to selective attention. This refers to our brain's ability to concentrate on a single stimulus while filtering out distractions, allowing us to focus on one problem at a time and effectively ignore others.
One of the myths of modern life is that we can multitask and perform multiple tasks simultaneously and competently. According to research by Stanford Professor Clifford Nass, people learn and perform much better when they focus on one thing at a time.
5. Write a gratitude list
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Write down everything you can think of about your life, experiences, and the world that makes you say ‘holy cow.’ You’ll find many things, and you may find you come up with fresh ideas that drive new creative projects.
This activity trains your brain to focus on what’s exciting and beautiful. That’s the skill you need.
6. Do a social-stretch task
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We all have our versions of an activity that makes us a little nervous in the social context. Maybe it’s talking to a cashier.
Maybe it’s just writing a message to a family member. Perhaps it’s going out to a club alone.
We can go through days wrapped up in self-absorption and wonder why we feel depressed. Put the attention on others, especially if it’s a bit of a stretch outside your comfort zone, and watch your mood lift.
Stepping outside your comfort zone offers significant advantages, such as personal growth, increased resilience, enhanced self-efficacy, improved adaptability, and the development of new skills.
A 2023 study published by Frontiers in Psychology concluded it exposes you to unfamiliar situations, challenges your current capabilities, and promotes learning through overcoming anxiety and discomfort associated with the unknown.
7. Meditate
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Yeah, I know. Everyone’s talking about meditation. I’ve often questioned the need to do this because it feels like nothing is happening at the moment.
But meditation is one of the best ways to not only train the mind and body to center itself and relax, but it also acts as a window to solutions when you are intentional about solving a problem. Why deny your ability to access wisdom when it’s there for you daily?
8. Take a freezing cold shower
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Beyond the long list of health benefits, cold showers train one key thing: your ability to handle what Julien Smith calls the ‘flinch.’ This is the moment we face before doing hard things.
Stanford University research shows that cold water immersion (CWI) may improve mental health by increasing endorphin and norepinephrine levels. It may also enhance resilience to stress by decreasing cortisol levels. CWI can be adapted to meet different wellness goals, whether for immediate relief or long-term mental health benefits.
When we get better at leaning into challenges and pushing through this ‘flinch,’ we become increasingly fearless. We can handle and do more. This is power.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient. He's the author of the Mastery Den newsletter, which helps people triple their productivity.