How you cope with your life is very much dependant on your attitude. If you truly understand and really know yourself and what works best for you, it can be a lot easier. However, accepting and appreciating what you can change and what you cannot change is not always easy.

Self Esteem

Self Esteem, how you see yourself and how you feel about yourself is formed by so many things. This can be your relationships, your body image, your many roles and what you think others may think about you. This can all be shaped by the conditioning from your childhood, by your family and friends, workmates and also from your own comparison with other people.

People with low self image or self esteem are very much more susceptible to anxiety and depression disorders and increased mental and physical health problems. The key here is to focus on your successes and achievements in order to improve your self esteem.

Body image

It is well known that women spend more time worrying about how they look than men. Only 1 in 5 women are satisfied with their body weight and even less are happy about how they look. Almost half of all women over estimate their size and shape. Women are also subjected to what is perceived to be the images of perfection, by what is in the media.

Learning to live with and really appreciate your own body as it is now can be the key to having a healthy body image. Beauty does come from within, within yourself and how you see yourself. Learn to accept, like and love yourself with positive self talk and treating your body with the respect it really deserves.

Find the balance

It can be a juggling act between work, responsibilities and play. Balancing between yourself and others is not always easy. Do not put too much pressure on yourself to do everything at once. Start by making a commitment to yourself to pay special attention to the basics. Eating well, pleasurable physical exercise, letting go of old habits and conditioning that can deprive us of our health and self esteem and learning new techniques to help deal with the stress.

Emotional acceptance

It is not always easy to understand our emotions and how they can be different from day to day, hour to hour. Some days it is a struggle and other days it can be a breeze. Even the most positive of people can, at times feel anxious or even depression.

The first step is to accept that it is normal to have fluctuating emotions and then if the balance is starting to be weighted in favor of negative emotions, it could be time to look at new strategies to make positive changes.

Take action

Having a great attitude is wonderful and an excellent start. Now start to turn that attitude into a balanced and healthy lifestyle by actually doing something different. If you do not know where to go for the right help, there are many, many resources that you have at your fingertips to get you on the right track. Research the Internet, read books, ask other people about what they did, seek out professional help. There is never a real reason for not finding something that will work for you. All you have to do is look around you and do not be afraid to ask for help. It is all about taking action and doing something different.

If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got.

About the Author