Article: Feeling good about yourself is crucial to mental health. Worry and negative thoughts can bog you down and keep you from feeling your best. Self-doubt can be particularly distressing. The following exercises can help you quiet your inner critic and soothe your worries: If you catch yourself worrying and or thinking negatively about yourself, ask yourself some questions. For example: "Is this thought kind to myself?" "Is this thought true?" "Would I say this to someone else?" The answers to these questions can often help reduce self-doubt. Change a negative thought to make it truer or kinder. For example, you might find yourself thinking: "I never get anything right." Try to make this more truthful by thinking instead: "Sometimes I don't get things right, but other times I do a really great job. It is ok that I can't do everything, and I am proud of what I can do." In times of difficulty, focus on qualities that can help you get through life's challenges. For example, if you might find yourself thinking: "I don't like not knowing what is going to happen. What if something terrible happens?" In this case, you can remind yourself of your strengths. You might say to yourself: "I do not like not knowing what will happen, but I do know that I have overcome unforeseeable events in the past. I trust my ability to handle whatever comes my way." Acknowledging what you value about yourself will remind you of your worth, which is essential to mental wellness. Valuing your strengths can remind you of how capable and competent you are. It is helpful to write down your thoughts about your strengths, or even start a journal. Here are some helpful prompts to get you started: What makes you feel strong? Is it something you do, or a certain environment? Describe what you feel in moments of strength. Confidence? Pride? List 5 qualities about yourself that are strengths. Which of these is the most important? Why? Self-affirmation is an exercise in which you remind yourself of your worth by saying or writing down things that you like or admire about yourself. Routinely acknowledging the attributes you love about yourself can give you a huge boost in self-esteem. Say what you like about yourself out loud in a mirror. Anytime you have a moment, you can do this short exercise. Doing it repeatedly will help build self-esteem. An example of an affirmation would be: "I love what a great friend I am, and I proud of how I treat my friends." Another example could be: "I love that my hair is curly because it is different. I'm glad I am embracing my hair today." Studies show that self-affirmation can also help relieve stress and promote creative thinking in stressful situations.

What is a summary?
Question your inner-critic. Focus on your strengths. Practice self-affirmation.