What are the other two elements of self esteem?

While compassionate self-parenting is the essential foundation of self-esteem, there are a couple of other elements as well.  One is repeatedly challenging ourselves to do something hard, but do-able, and nailing it.  This doesn’t have to be winning the nobel prize--in fact with a few rare exceptions, shouldn’t be winning the nobel prize.  It should be what is do-able, but a stretch for you.  I count giving birth as one of these things for me.  Even though bazillions of other women have done it, I felt like if I could do that, I could do almost anything.  When I was 19, I crossed the country by myself in a car, after having been agoraphobic when.........

Starting at the beginning: What is self esteem?

I believe good self esteem is having a sense that ones whole, real self has value.

What’s involved in developing good self esteem?

I’ve come to the conclusion that there are three elements of developing good self esteem.  I’ll get to the other two in another post, but the first, and the foundation of good self esteem is being treated as valuable for our whole, real selves, and then incorporating that into how we think of ourselves, and treat ourselves.

How does this happen?

We learn to value ourselves by imitating others valuing us.  Lucky ones of us learn it from our parents who treat us with value, just like we learn how to dress ourselves .........