 I love Lucy, actress, Lucille Ball wants it. Love yourself first, and everything falls into line. So why is it sometimes so hard to love ourselves? We all have days when we feel less than great. But when low self-esteem becomes a long-term problem, it can damage our mental health. So it becomes important to seek help to potentially find the source. Poor self-esteem can stem from an unhappy childhood, poor performance in school, mental illness, disability, or a lack of support system. But no matter the cause, there are ways to build your confidence. Here are five ways to address poor self-esteem and build it back. Find the source. Low self-esteem can be a deeply rooted personal issue that affects us throughout our lives. Licensed therapist Cheryl A. Clark says, understanding how low self-esteem evolves as a result of past internalized messages and cognitive processing can help people create new ways of perceiving the world around them. For example, poor or low self-esteem can often stem from unfavorable moments during childhood. Maybe your parents were absent or abusive or you were bullied at school. From a young age, this lack of support can teach us that we're not worthy and that thought process can stick with us. But please remember that your past does not define you. But acknowledging it will help you move forward. According to BetterHelp, by acknowledging and addressing these causes, we can begin the journey toward cultivating a healthier and more confident sense of self. Yes, the first few steps can be scary, but the adventure awaiting you will be worth it. Accept who you are. Do you know who you are? If you look in the mirror and see yourself as a screw-up or failure, it's time to reevaluate and accept who you are. Chief psychologist at AMFM Healthcare, Dr. Megan Markham, suggests embracing your values, setting healthy boundaries, forgiving yourself from mistakes, avoiding self-blame, and speaking with a licensed professional or trusted friend or family member if your low self-esteem persists or starts negatively affecting your life. Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses. Albert Einstein once said, everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it'll live its whole life believing that it's stupid. Recognize your strengths, acknowledge your weaknesses, and see how they balance. Doing this will help paint a more realistic perception of yourself. To do that, psychotherapist Christy Overstreet suggests asking yourself, was there a time in your life when you had better self-esteem? What were you doing at that stage of your life? If you can't think of anything, ask a close friend or family member who will see past the negativity you hold. An outside perspective could be enlightening. Rewrite your story. What we tell ourselves based on our perception of ourselves and the world can drastically affect our self-esteem and outlook. If your head constantly swirls with negative thoughts, your perception will be negative. Psychologist Jessica Koblenz says, sometimes automatic negative thoughts like your fat or your lazy can be repeated in your mind so often that you start to believe they're true. These negative thoughts are learned, which means they can be unlearned to overcome negative self-talk. Koblenz suggests starting with affirmations. Ask yourself, what do you wish you believed about yourself? Repeat these phrases daily and they will become your new truth. Remember you are the author, so take action and rewrite your story. Be your own hero. We all have a favorite hero. Who's yours? Tell us in the comments. Heroes often represent what we aspire to be. So why not be your own hero? Do something that makes you happy, a spa day or reading a good book. And if doing something for yourself isn't enough, do something for someone else. Psychologist Madeleine Mason Roentree says, you'll notice your mood lift a little when you do good things for the sheer joy of it. Being kind to others can give you a sense of purpose, make you feel less isolated and help you feel better even at your lowest. Pay a compliment to a stranger. Buy lunch for a co-worker, donate to a cause you care about, send texts to friends and family, just checking in. Doing these things will keep you feeling more present and connected to those around you. Challenge yourself. Even non-Lord of the Rings fans recognize when Bilbo Baggins runs out of his home and shouts, I'm going on an adventure as a key moment in the story. Self-made challenges and goals can build self-esteem and confidence because they give you a sense of accomplishment with each goal reached. You can join a gym and aim to go twice a week or you could arrange to meet with friends monthly to catch up. International Speaker, Clinician and Educator, Dr. Jan Roberts says, people with low self-esteem often feel like failures and develop learned helplessness. Creating small achievable goals can help build competence and consequently confidence. A great first goal would be to notice when poor self-esteem becomes evident in your daily life. Try to stop making self-deprecating jokes. Instead, compliment yourself daily. It may feel awkward to praise yourself initially but eventually you will believe every word and if compliments don't work, be like the Hobbit and go on an adventure. Build a support system. As Winnie the Pooh once said, a day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside. Friends add an extra bit of sweetness to enrich our lives. Struggling with low self-esteem can be hard when you're alone. So sharing your struggles with someone who offers unconditional support unlike a friend, family, teacher, or therapist is important. According to Very Well Mind, having a network of caring people who value you can be beneficial as you improve yourself esteem. Like Winnie the Pooh needs his forest friends, Bilbo needs Gandalf, everyone needs a quality support system. Find people who value you for who you are and who bring positivity and adventure into your life. Everyone needs a friend that says, get dressed or going on an adventure. Recognize the quote? I'll just set it first in the comments. Practice self-love. Contrary to popular belief, self-love is healthy and essential for developing higher self-esteem. By practicing self-love regularly, you are doing something that maintains your physical and mental health. Licensed marriage and family therapist, Darlene Lancer argues that you have an opportunity to learn self-love all the time. You are undermining your self-esteem by dismissing your feelings and needs. Loving yourself doesn't make you selfish or self-centered and it does not make you the villain. Psychologist and author of the self-esteem workbook, Glenn Charaldi insists, recognizing inner worth and loving one's imperfect self provides the secure foundation for growth because failure doesn't change core worth. You're worthy of love no matter where you are in life. Like building muscle, building self-esteem will take time, patience and self-compassion. When working on yourself be kind, everyone has room for self-improvement and you're no different. If you struggle with self-esteem, we encourage you to talk with trusted friends, family or licensed professional. Having someone to discuss your worries with can help you find the root of the problem. If you found this video helpful, please like and share it with whoever you think will benefit. Until next time, remember to hit that subscribe button to keep updated on our latest videos. Take care and remember that you matter.