Just preparing some course material on this stuff and thought some people here might find it useful.

Steps to Raise Your Self Esteem

1. Have realistic expectations. If you expect yourself to be perfect all the time you will be constantly disappointed in yourself. Judge yourself in terms of your own growth.

2. Have a realistic perception of yourself. Beware of inaccurate feedback from others who need to put you down in order to build themselves up.

3. Be especially aware of old perceptions of yourself. Don’t let your eight-year-old self be telling you who you are now.

4. Stop comparing yourself to others.

5. Stop putting yourself down. Build yourself up with affirmations. Whether speaking about your appearance, your career, your relationships or any other aspect of your life, avoid self-deprecating comments. Instead of saying, “I’m such an idiot,” say, “I’m so human.”

6. Accept all compliments with “Thank you." When you reject a compliment, you are telling yourself that you are not worthy of praise.

7. Associate with positive, supportive people. Observe role models.

8. Make a list of your past successes and positive qualities.

9. Start giving more. Give more of yourself to those around you. When you do things for others, you are making a positive contribution and you feel more valuable, which lifts your spirits and raises your self-esteem.

10. Get involved in work and activities you love. Take action. Self-esteem flourishes when you are engaged in work and activities that you enjoy and make you feel valuable. Taking action involves taking risks to do new things. You will be proud of yourself for trying. When fear and anxiety control your life, you are frustrated and unhappy and endangering your self-esteem.

11. Be true to yourself. You are unique with enormous potential and capacity for experiencing love of yourself and others. As self-esteem grows, the real you emerges. You take more risks and do not fear failure. Approval of others is less important. Ultimately high self-esteem brings peace of mind.