It can be quite common for college students to feel inadequacy, low self-esteem, and various insecurities. Whether these emotions arise due to grades, friendships, love life, or financial issues, you are not alone when facing these emotions. Many college students experience feelings of low self-esteem and low self-worth.
Attending college can be a very drastic change for most people. At this point in your life, so many things are changing all at once that it can be difficult not to crumble under stress. Navigating a new environment, connecting with different people, and facing more academic pressure can damage one’s self-esteem. These changes can ultimately affect the way you view yourself.
Embracing change in college is essential to maintaining your confidence during this transition.
Nonetheless, there are a variety of tips for building self-esteem to combat these obstacles and help keep your self-esteem and confidence high.
Here are 4 useful tips for those who are undergoing their college years.
Tip #1: Separate Your Self-worth From Your GPA
Having a solid GPA in college is very important to many students. The upkeep of your GPA can help you attain more opportunities throughout your school years and beyond. The desire to maintain a good grade point average is admirable, but not the end-all-be-all. If you place an unhealthy amount of importance on this, you may stress about every assignment, test, or class. You will find your self-esteem crumbling whenever you get a grade that is not up to par.
This fear of never wanting to have your GPA lower than a certain number can instill anxiety in you. It can make you feel defeated and unworthy in situations where you see a peer get a better grade than you or if you do not perform your best on an exam.
Ultimately, caring about your GPA is respectable, but it cannot be taken to an extreme where it affects how you view yourself and your worth. That is when it becomes unhealthy.
Realize that your GPA does not reflect your worth, self-esteem, or capabilities.
Tip #2 Build a Strong Social Circle
College is a whole new world. It is a new campus with new students, teachers, activities, and experiences. You are now in this new environment for the next 4 or so years.
Making good friends can help you maintain high self-esteem and confidence. Because college is so new, the years to come are unpredictable. You will be experiencing many things you may not have experienced before, and you will begin the process of what people call “adulting.”
This process can be difficult and can severely damage your self-esteem if you do not have a solid support group.
With all the ups and downs that your new college life will bring, you will want to have some friends around you that you know you can count on to always be there for you. Building strong relationships is key to improving confidence and self-esteem during this transformative time.
Do yourself a favor and begin to scope out potential friends. You never know; some of these people can become lifelong friends you never knew you needed.
Tip #3: Get Yourself Involved in Activities
Engaging in some form of activity is a great way to boost self-esteem. Whether that be joining a school club, trying a new sport, or just hitting the gym, getting involved in any activity will allow you to flourish in something new.
You can flourish in a new endeavor and build new connections, explore different passions, and do something productive with your time.
All these aspects help one cultivate a high self-esteem, where one can walk around genuinely feeling confident in oneself. Getting involved in anything will help give one a sense of purpose, which is one sure way to maintain a solid level of confidence.
Tip #4: Embrace Change
College is a challenging time for many individuals. Due to all the changes that are going on, it is easy to succumb to the anxiety that this uncertainty brings, which affects your self-esteem.
With new beginnings come friendships, new endeavors, cool experiences, and exciting connections, but with this also come challenges, setbacks, and obstacles. These college life challenges, setbacks, and obstacles can knock you down if you let them. This is why it is important to embrace this change.
Embrace the new experience and everything that comes with it. Embracing this change will allow you to trust yourself more and feel more self-assured. When you trust yourself and feel more self-assured, you cultivate a high level of confidence and self-esteem.
The next time you feel like a certain setback is weighing you down, understand that this is all a part of how life unfolds. Learn to not go against the grain, learn to embrace the challenges, and not run away from them. This is key to maintaining your self-esteem throughout college life's unpredictability.
Remember These Tips for Building Your Self-Esteem
Maintaining solid self-esteem is important, and it is especially important in college. College is such a pivotal time in one’s life, so it is important to keep your mind grounded. If you don't take control of your mind and your self-esteem, the obstacles you face throughout college can hit you extremely hard.
Nonetheless, there are ways to help keep you feeling strong and self-assured. Separating your worth from your GPA, building a strong social circle, getting yourself involved in activities, and embracing change are all effective strategies for building self-esteem in college students.
These approaches will help you navigate your college years while giving your self-esteem the boost it deserves! The next time you feel like you are having a rough day and need a bit of encouragement, remember these tips, as they will help you in the years to come.
