How to Improve Your Self-Worth and Why It's Important

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFactors That Influence Self-WorthGauging Your Self-WorthImportance of Self-WorthHow to Improve Self-Worth

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Factors That Influence Self-Worth

Gauging Your Self-Worth

Importance of Self-Worth

How to Improve Self-Worth

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If you’ve heard the term “self-worth,” you’re probably wondering what exactly it means and why it’s important.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), your self-worth is your evaluation of yourself as a capable and valuable human being deserving of consideration and respect.It is an internal sense of being worthy oflove.

We often think about terms like “respect,” “love,” and “consideration” with regard to our relationships with others, such as our friends, family members, colleagues, and neighbors. However, the term “self-worth” is a gauge of how much we respect, love, and value ourselves.

People with positiveself-worthtend to have greaterself-confidenceand self-esteem.Having low self-worth, on the other hand, means judging oneself harshly, having a low opinion of oneself, and tending to focus on one’s mistakes and shortcomings, rather than one’s abilities and strengths.

Sabrina Romanoff, PsyDIt’s important to have self-worth because it impacts everything you do from your relationships, to how you work, how you feel about yourself, and how others view you.

Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD

It’s important to have self-worth because it impacts everything you do from your relationships, to how you work, how you feel about yourself, and how others view you.

This article explores the importance of self-worth and suggests some strategies to help you improve your self-worth.

Self-worth is a subjective concept that can fluctuate based on many variables, saysSabrina Romanoff, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and professor at Yeshiva University.

According to Dr. Romanoff, these are some of the factors that may influence self-worth:

“I’m Not Good at Anything:” How to Combat Low Self-Esteem

If you’re trying togauge your self-worth, Dr. Romanoff says it may be helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

Asking yourself these questions can help you introspect and get a sense of your own self-worth.

As you explore these thoughts, it can also be helpful to think about where your thoughts and beliefs around your self-worth originated from.

Below, Dr. Romanoff explains the benefits of having a healthy sense of self-worth and the potential pitfalls of having low self-worth.

Benefits of Positive Self-Worth

Folks with high self-worth carry with them a sense ofconfidencethat they will be all right and manage whatever comes their way. While they are aware of areas in which they can improve, they don’t let their shortcomings define their identity. They are not afraid to pursue opportunities and have reasonable faith in their ability to deliver.

Self-worth also plays an important role in relationship dynamics. For example, if someone is treated poorly, their self-worth will likely have a large impact on their interpretation of the event—someone with low self-worth may blame themselves, whereas a person with healthy self-worth may not consider themselves deserving ofmistreatment.

According to a 2017 study, positive self-worth is associated with a greater sense of well-being and life satisfaction.

Potential Pitfalls of Low Self-Worth

Because there is a strong tendency to view oneself as unworthy,there is also a tendency to elevate others, in an effort to compensate. Someone with low self-worth may therefore minimize their needs, allow their boundaries to be infringed, go out of their way to please others, and be unable to stand up for themselves.

Low self-worth is highly correlated with depression andanxiety.As a result, people may experience symptoms like low mood, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, changes in weight, sleep difficulties, and inability to concentrate.

Strategies to Improve Your Self-Worth

Below, Dr. Romanoff shares some strategies that can help you boost your sense of self-worth:

When Too Much Self-Confidence Is a Bad Thing

A Word From Verywell

Having a healthy sense of self-worth is important and can contribute tobetter relationships, work, health, and overall mental and emotional well-being. If you think you might have low self-esteem, there are steps you can take to improve it and have a more positive view of yourself. Loving, respecting, and valuing yourself can be the first step toward gaining the love, respect, and consideration of others.

7 Ways to Practice Self-Love

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Self-worth.APA Dictionary of Psychology.University of North Carolina Wilmington.Self-worth.Du H, King RB, Chi P.Self-esteem and subjective well-being revisited: The roles of personal, relational, and collective self-esteem.PLoS One. 2017;12(8):e0183958. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0183958Sowislo JF, Orth U.Does low self-esteem predict depression and anxiety? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.Psychol Bull. 2013;139(1):213-240. doi:10.1037/a0028931Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mental health conditions: Depression and anxiety.Reddon H, Meyre D, Cairney J.Physical activity and global self-worth in a longitudinal study.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2017;49(8):1606-1613. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001275

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Self-worth.APA Dictionary of Psychology.University of North Carolina Wilmington.Self-worth.Du H, King RB, Chi P.Self-esteem and subjective well-being revisited: The roles of personal, relational, and collective self-esteem.PLoS One. 2017;12(8):e0183958. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0183958Sowislo JF, Orth U.Does low self-esteem predict depression and anxiety? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.Psychol Bull. 2013;139(1):213-240. doi:10.1037/a0028931Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mental health conditions: Depression and anxiety.Reddon H, Meyre D, Cairney J.Physical activity and global self-worth in a longitudinal study.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2017;49(8):1606-1613. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001275

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Psychological Association.Self-worth.APA Dictionary of Psychology.University of North Carolina Wilmington.Self-worth.Du H, King RB, Chi P.Self-esteem and subjective well-being revisited: The roles of personal, relational, and collective self-esteem.PLoS One. 2017;12(8):e0183958. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0183958Sowislo JF, Orth U.Does low self-esteem predict depression and anxiety? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.Psychol Bull. 2013;139(1):213-240. doi:10.1037/a0028931Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mental health conditions: Depression and anxiety.Reddon H, Meyre D, Cairney J.Physical activity and global self-worth in a longitudinal study.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2017;49(8):1606-1613. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001275

American Psychological Association.Self-worth.APA Dictionary of Psychology.

University of North Carolina Wilmington.Self-worth.

Du H, King RB, Chi P.Self-esteem and subjective well-being revisited: The roles of personal, relational, and collective self-esteem.PLoS One. 2017;12(8):e0183958. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0183958

Sowislo JF, Orth U.Does low self-esteem predict depression and anxiety? A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.Psychol Bull. 2013;139(1):213-240. doi:10.1037/a0028931

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Mental health conditions: Depression and anxiety.

Reddon H, Meyre D, Cairney J.Physical activity and global self-worth in a longitudinal study.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2017;49(8):1606-1613. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000001275

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