Self-esteem

Self-esteem is internal, this means it is something within us. It is to do with the value we place on ourselves and how we view and may judge ourselves. Many of us tend to criticise ourselves now and then. Whilst this can be healthy if we use self-reflection to learn and grow, it can be a sign of having low self-esteem if this is occurs frequently or all the time. In a nutshell, self-esteem is your opinion of yourself and when it is low it is consistently so.  

Working on self-esteem. If you feel you have low self-esteem do not despair, this is something you can work on! A great first step to building self-esteem is to think carefully about your values, ask yourself what matters to you, what do you care and believe in? When you recognise what your values are it can be good to establish a purpose, this can help you to feel life has meaning. You have may have may many purposes, for example: to study hard, to be a good parent, carer or friend, to be an active member of you community.  

Be kind to yourself and treat yourself well. Do things you enjoy, it is so important that you learn to love an

d respect yourself, these factors are fundamental when it comes to building self-esteem. Would you judge others the way you judge yourself? Don’t be your hardest critic, accept yourself for who you are. It may feel unnatural or hard at first to change the way you behave and think about yourself, but practice, change any negative inner self talk to optimistic statements. At MCI we know you can do it! Now it is time to believe you can too.  

Confidence

Confidence, on the other hand, is more to do with your belief in yourself and your abilities. This is something that, unlike self-esteem, is less consistent and can change depending on the situation you are in. As such it is possible to be highly confident about certain things and at the same time still have low self-esteem. The good news is that working on confidence about the things you may not feel confident about is also possible.  

As confidence is founded on accomplishment, it is built on meeting goals. As you meet goals, both small and large, your confidence will grow. It isn’t hard but it does take practice, so we encourage you to start right away. Go and do great things and build that confidence, you have got this.     

Here are some tips for building confidence and self-esteem. 

Setting realistic goals is one of the best methods to build confidence. Be realistic and set small goals, or break down a big goal into smaller manageable goals. It will stop you from becoming overwhelmed and giving up. When you achieve your goals, it feels so good and in turn automatically improves your self-confidence. The moment you achieve a goal, you feel confident that you can achieve the rest too. So, go ahead and set goals, achieve them, and improve your self-confidence. Your mentor can also assist you in setting realistic learning goals. 

You can set goals in both your professional and personal life. Think about what areas you would like to build your confidence in, write your goals down and create a timeline or schedule of when you would like to achieve these goals. This can also help you to monitor progress and stay on track in meeting your goals.  

Be positive and remove any negative thoughts. By creating a positive outlook will help you to overcome obstacles. At times you may feel that it is all too much and want to give up. Keep telling yourself that you can do it. “I can, I will, I am confident” Keep repeating this throughout your day.  And when you do reach the final hurdle you will feel amazing! 

Stop comparing – Do not compare yourself to others and to their achievements. Your journey is yours, find your own way and enjoy it. And when you achieve something, however small it may be, pat yourself on the back and be proud. 

Learn from your mistakes – Never dwell on your mistakes but learn from them and make changes for the future. It’s not about the mistakes you make but about how you correct them that defines you. 

Don’t worry! Worrying does not change anything and will not lead to anything positive. It is a waste of time and energy and affects your clarity and well-being.  Try deep breathing exercises and meditation to combat those worries. Ensure that you exercise regularly, even if it’s just a short walk every day. 

Facing your fears - Role plays 

I think it is safe to say, that many of our students do not look forward to the role play recordings and often put these off, which in turn impacts their course progress. Do not worry about the role plays! You are not being judged on your acting skills :) Once you have completed one, you will realise that it is not so bad after all (face your fears).   

Here are a few tips for completing your role plays. 

1. 1. Ask your mentor for help – If you are unable to find friends or family members to help with role plays, your mentor can help with this. We have a very approachable team and will always step in and help when we can. 

1. 2. Don’t worry, it can be fun! The mentors do occasionally slip up and get things wrong when recording role plays! However, we laugh, learn from these mistakes, move on and to the next one with confidence 

1. 3. If you do require help with a role play, we just need you to email your script to your mentor, make a booking and hey presto, we will do the rest! 

Need assistance as a student at MCI?

Do you require assistance with your studies at MCI? Do you need a role play partner? Be reminded, to please reach out to your mentor. Finally, you always have the option and are encouraged to interact with other students by joining the MCI Student Facebook page.

All the best!