What's Your Self-Esteem Level?

The way we feel about and view ourselves has an intense effect on how we live our lives. Self-esteem involves our ability to think, to be happy and to deal with life.

Take the Quiz

Take a look through the following questions to find out if you have a healthy level of self-esteem. Try to be completely honest; make sure that your answers reflect how you actually feel, rather than how you'd like to feel.

Do you like yourself as a person?
Do you deserve to be happy?
Are you generally optimistic about your life?
Do you think that you are basically a decent, caring person?
Do you feel that your opinions matter even if they seem to be different from other people's?
Can you express yourself in company with ease?
Have you something emotionally worth giving to someone else?
Do you willingly take risks, knowing that making mistakes is an essential part of moving forward?
Can you take constructive criticism?
When you do well are you proud of your achievements?
Do you tackle problems individually rather than let them stack up?
Do you find it relatively easy to say "No"?
Do you find it easy to make good friends?
Do you manage to control your anger or temper?
Do you think that you deserve to be loved?

How Did You Do?

If you answered "Yes" to at least ten questions, then your self-esteem is reasonably healthy. However, any less than seven and you may need to take a look at what could be preventing you from being happy in yourself.

What to Do Next

If you have a low self-esteem, you may find that you surround yourself with other people and arrange your life so that you are constantly busy, simply because you don't feel relaxed or happy in your own company. It's important to spend some time on your own every now, you'll soon learn to enjoy the time and space you've given yourself and more importantly, you'll learn that you deserve it. Ideally, try to spend half an hour every day in peaceful relaxation; switch off your TV and phone, put your feet up and just unwind.

Read on for more helpful ideas and tips on improving your self-esteem ...