At 35 years old, my days have been shrinking.

I lack the courage to challenge something and the confidence to start again, unlike before.

When I stand in front of the mirror, I feel smaller than I used to.

When failures repeat, the world becomes frightening.

But even in that, I must stand up again, so I began to hold onto the keyword 'self-esteem.'

In psychology, self-esteem is viewed differently from simple confidence.

Self-esteem is "the feeling of respecting and loving myself as I am."

Therefore, people with high self-esteem do not easily crumble in the face of failure.

They do not sway by others' opinions, believing in themselves and moving forward step by step.

The American mental health information site 'Psychology Today' describes self-esteem as "the emotional foundation that affects all relationships and achievements in life."

And that self-esteem can easily crumble due to past wounds, parental expectations, social comparisons, and even experiences of bullying during adolescence.

When a person has not received enough affection in childhood or has experienced abuse or neglect,

they may misunderstand that they "do not deserve to be loved."
Such inner wounds deeply affect self-esteem even after becoming an adult.

There are times when even the expectations of the closest family are hard to bear.
When the words "You can do better" feel like pressure rather than praise,
a person becomes more sensitive to others' evaluations than to themselves and loses their self-worth.

If one was bullied in school or did not feel a sense of belonging,
that memory embeds deeply and shakes the foundation of self-esteem.
The feeling of 'I am a person needed nowhere' lingers for a long time.

It is more important to live today well than to regret the past or worry about the future.

The habit of living each day fully has more power than one might think.
A page from a book read today, a street walked, a conversation had can all help me stand up again.

Do not belittle yourself just because you have failed or feel a little lacking.
Acknowledge that "that choice was the best at the time" and,
think about what you learned from that experience.

Practice respecting your choices without being swayed by others' expectations.
Taking responsibility for your decisions is the fastest shortcut to boosting self-esteem.

Do not worry about others' opinions, and try to say what you want to say.
Expressing my thoughts is an act of respecting myself.
I must be my own ally above anyone else.

Too big goals can lead to frustration.
Start with small goals that can be achieved in this moment.
"Exercise for 20 minutes today," "Send one email" are also great achievements.

Let's focus on the process rather than the results.
Even if the results do not meet expectations, if the process was done sincerely,
that becomes a brick in building self-esteem.
The body leads the mind. So let's move our bodies a little every day.

When it is difficult to do it alone, if recovering self-esteem is hard by oneself,

seeking help from a professional is also a form of courage.
Psychological counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy can greatly help in understanding and reconstructing the structure of my mind.
Learning how to love myself can sometimes be a process of education.

I am still not perfect now.
Nevertheless, I try to understand myself a little more and embrace myself a little more today.
Self-esteem is not restored overnight,
but it gradually solidifies through daily choices and attitudes.

If you, who are reading this, are also
afraid of the world and lacking in confidence,
I hope you remember this one thing.

"You are already a perfectly okay person just as you are right now."