I have found that trying new activities can be an incredibly effective way to nurture and strengthen self-esteem. Whether it's a hobby, sport, or creative pursuit, stepping out of my comfort zone and embracing new experiences has played a crucial role in building my self-esteem and overall wellbeing.

My name is Sean Gunderson, and I am the new author of "Building Self-Esteem." I am optimistic to begin writing for HealthyPlace. I hope that my unique lived experiences, along with my engaging personality, will help make my blog a place that you turn to for ideas and support in your life’s journey. In my own life’s journey, I have come to realize the importance of self-esteem and have learned how to cultivate it effectively.

My name is Teddy Muyeka, and I am passionate about sharing my mental health journey. I am glad to share my experiences here at "Building Self-Esteem" so that I can help others cope better with their struggles. I have lived with depression for a long time, and it has deeply affected my self-esteem. My coping mechanisms during this time, mostly avoidance, turned out to be causing more harm than good. It wasn’t until I started therapy that I started my journey to rebuild my self-confidence and develop healthier coping mechanisms.

My name is Will Redmond, and I’m a new author for HealthyPlace’s “Building Self-Esteem.” I’m so excited to open a dialogue about the ongoing mental health crisis and foster growth with you all. Low self-esteem is a challenging issue to tackle, but together we’ll work through steps to build a strong self-image and a positive outlook on life.

I’m Justin Hughes, and I’m thrilled to be joining "Building Self Esteem." This is a subject I have struggled with my entire life. In fact, I still struggle with it today. When HealthyPlace invited me to join this blog, I found the subject ironic, because, of my assorted mental health struggles, self-esteem is the one I have gotten over the least. I’ve made significant progress toward battling my negative self-talk, but I’ve hardly mastered it. Perhaps that’s precisely why I’m here.

A sure sign of healthy self-esteem is being your own best friend--loving and accepting yourself exactly as you are. This is a bottom-line requirement for strong self-esteem. Often, we only recognize the things about ourselves that disappoint us and pay no attention to our talents and accomplishments.

I’m Jessica Kaley, and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the "Building Self-Esteem" blog. I aim to answer questions like why self-esteem is important to our happiness and success, and how we can improve old pictures of ourselves that we still carry from the past.

How do we define our personal values? In my post last week, "What Is Self-Worth", I explored the topic of self-worth. When we are living with low self-esteem, we often struggle to find self-worth. This comes from believing we are unable to succeed at the things we value personally. But where do these values come from? How do we decide what is important to us?

My name is Britt Mahrer, I’m a new blogger at HealthyPlace. I’ll be writing on "Building Self-Esteem." This is a topic I’m passionate about and eager to explore. My own self-esteem exploration has taken me many unexpected places, including living as a monk in Thailand, musically directing a Broadway workshop, founding a non-profit organization, dancing and singing on a piano, teaching yoga and circus acrobatics, and fighting mixed martial arts (MMA). My journey with self-esteem has also taken me to some dark, miserable places I never thought I would escape. Needless to say, I have experienced many successes in my life and lived through many failures. 

The terms self-esteem and self-worth are often used interchangeably. However, their meanings are quite different. Some people focus on building their self-esteem, while others prefer to strengthen their sense of self-worth. In actual fact, though, the development of both is essential in remaining grounded and healthy. Let’s take a look at some of the key differences between self-esteem and self-worth to see why this is the case.