Self-esteem can be a lifelong pursuit. We may feel unworthy, and can’t see ourselves as having great value while we try to find our place in the world. Some days we experience higher levels of worthiness, yet as life unfolds we make mistakes, such as yelling at our children or trusting the wrong people. When we make these mistakes, our self-esteem plunges and there we are, back to possessing low self-esteem again. This cycle of highs and lows happens continuously over a lifetime, and they happen to everyone because we are all imperfect human beings.
“It turns out that seeking self-esteem can be a life-long pursuit and that changes in one’s circumstances tend to lower one’s self-esteem, whereas unconditional self-acceptance, once defined and achieved, is stable over time. Thus, it is my contention that pursuing unconditional self-acceptance is a heartier and more useful concept than pursuing high self-esteem.”
Read also: Self-acceptance versus self-esteem
Learning Sciences 