Self-esteem is an individual’s subjective evaluation of his/herself. It involves the beliefs that individual has known when growing up and what they are now. It is the way an individual interact with people, and how the individual carries him/herself in the society.
Self-esteem could be either positive or negative based on a number of factors. An individual with positive self-esteem exercises confidence, enthusiasm as well as accepts corrections when he/she makes a mistake while an individual with a low self-esteem lacks confidence among his peers and spends time in solitude.
This episode of ‘Blackie, yam-leg and lefty’ shares stories of young adults who narrated their individual self-esteem challenges they encountered as teenagers. These stories highlight the likely challenges most teenagers encounter among their peers in schools and at home that could affect their self-esteem and self-confidence.
A healthy self-esteem is an important part of our lives because it determines our individual level of self-worth and self-confidence. Conversely, an unhealthy self-esteem triggers devaluation of oneself, lack of self-confidence and inferiority complex.
This episode of BYL gives insight to the impact of family background and parental influence on a teenager’s self-esteem and overall well-being. It also narrates the impact of body-shamming, unsolicited advice and unkind comments on other people’s health status.
One of the stories shared in this episode involves a young lady who narrated the impact of her father’s concern on her self-esteem in her teenage years; academically and socially. The influence included being an integral part in building a healthy self-esteem for her despite financial issues and challenges. She shared her experience of having fought a battle within as a teenager which has mentally prepared her and helped her withstand other challenges in adulthood.
One of the methods that helped her withstand those challenges as a teenager was acting solely on her father’s instruction down to her relationship.
Another story in this episode highlights the challenging experiences of a young man who doubled as a designated father after the neglect from his biological father. Some of those challenges involved handling many family responsibilities alongside his personal plans for self-development. This extended to the difficulty to strike a balance between family life and personal life. A major strategy he used to salvage these challenges at that time was investing on things and learning digital skills profitable in the future.
Another story shared in this episode highlights the strategies to withstand negative comments as an individual with sickle cell anemia. Some the strategies mentioned in this episode are listening to the inner self, doing a routine health check to avoid crises. One of the ways the young woman overcome her challenges was through avoidance of fear.
The mind is the most powerful tool of an individual’s well-being; it determines the person’s level of self-worth, self-esteem and self-confidence. This establishes the fact that an individual with a damaged self-esteem is likely to feel less of him/herself among other people.
Making unhealthy comments on other people’s physique could lead to a low level of confidence and a damaged self-esteem. One of the triggers of low self-esteem is body shaming which involves making unkind and unhealthy jokes on other people’s physique, height or skin color.
Furthermore, one of the stories shared in this episode highlights the importance of gratitude in every phase of life. The young woman involved shares the importance of self-contentment and gratitude in building the self-esteem of an individual. She emphasized the benefits of gratitude and how ingratitude could lead most young people to inferiority complex among their peers.
The dangers of ingratitude are numerous; peer pressure, low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence. Ingratitude could come in forms of desire of gadgets, accessories, and luxurious lifestyles beyond our income.
