It’s National Teen self-esteem month in the month of May, so what better time to talk about the importance of teen self-esteem. Actually self-esteem in all ages is really important! National Teen Self-Esteem Month was established to create awareness about the negative effects poor self-esteem causes among the teen population. During this month, parents and guardians are encouraged to act as positive role models, help stop negative self-images, and improve confidence and security among adolescents.
What is self -esteem? The Webster’s dictionary says; Self-Esteem-The esteem or good opinion of oneself. Now lets look at what Esteem is- to set value on to regard with respect. So, for us to have self-esteem we need to have a good view of ourselves and be respectful to ourselves as well. Why is self-esteem so important? One, is that we make better decisions for ourselves when we aren’t lacking self-esteem. We want to value who we are, love who we are and make good decisions for our self to reinforce our self worth, thereby strengthening our self-esteem.
Treating ourselves with respect is totally in our hands, we have complete control over this one. If you have the choice to do something good for yourself or bad, you have the choice to do what’s good, and no one can stop you. We have to remember that our opinion of ourselves really comes from inside of ourselves, not from outside influences. Not people, not the media!
Here are a couple quick tips to strengthen and maintain our sense of self and building confidence:
- Learn to love yourself for who you are
- Respect yourself, make good decisions
- Know that your opinions of yourself, come from you, not the opinions of others
- Realize what make you shine is on the inside, not what you look like
So, go out in the world and know that you are good enough and you are perfect just the way you are. And remember, although it might sound cliche, but treat others the way you want to be treated!
True orthodontic emergencies are very rare, but when they do occur we are available to you. As a general rule, you should call the office when you experience severe pain or when you have a painful appliance problem that you can’t take care of yourself. We’ll be able to schedule an appointment with our office.
