self esteem Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Devotions for Teenagers and Youth

How to Deal With Suicidal Thoughts

Posted on May 13, 2013

I remember many times as a teenager feeling worthless. I struggled with an extremely low self-esteem. I felt that no one really cared if I existed and I thought about taking my life at times.

I’m going to share with you a few things that I did to help me overcome thoughts of suicide.

I read the book, You Are God’s Best! by T.L. Osborn. I read this book over and over and over again. I had to feed myself with thoughts that I was important and that I mattered to God.
Everyday will be a battle. Everyday I was bombarded with thoughts that I didn’t matter, that I was ugly, gross and unimportant. I had to learn to not be so hard on myself and just accept who I was. It took me some time to develop a healthy picture of myself, so don’t get discouraged if it takes you a while.
Don’t fight alone! I tried to fight this battle alone. I did eventually overcome, but I think I would have had quicker results if I would have asked others for help. I could have had accountability and support when I was going through such a hard time.
Stay busy – Keep yourself busy. Get involved at your church. Ask if you can help out by cleaning or making copies. Help your neighbor lady plant her garden. Volunteer at the local food pantry. Do something to keep yourself busy. The more you stay isolated and alone, the more you will have to battle negative thoughts.
Ask God’s help – You aren’t built to do things in your own ability and strength. Rely on God. Ask Him for help, strength and wisdom to get through your day.

I want to encourage you that if you do struggle with thoughts of suicide, to take the scary step and ask for help. Talk to a teacher at school or a pastor at your church. They have resources that will help you fight this battle.

Finally, suicide is not a good solution to your problems. God has a special plan and purpose for your life. He’s got a unique plan for your life that only you can accomplish. When you think that your life doesn’t matter…that is a lie. It does. It matters to God and it matters to others even if it doesn’t feel like it at times.

Get yourself into God’s word and get yourself some help from a trusted adult and you’ll be on your way to overcoming the battle of suicidal thoughts!

Listen: Gold by Britt Nicole

What Rollercoasters Can Teach Us About Self-Esteem

Posted on April 25, 2013

Riding a roller coaster can be exciting. There’s great big hills, drops and turns that keep your heart racing and you screaming at the top of your lungs. Roller coasters are a great mix of terror and fun.

Self-esteem can be like a roller coaster sometimes. One minute you’re having fun because someone popular thought something you did was funny. Later that day, you feel the terror of embarrassment because your mom came to pick you up from school wearing fuzzy bunny slippers.

Sometimes when it comes to how you feel about yourself, its like a roller coaster. You feel great one moment and down in the dumps about yourself the next.

With that in mind, we’re going to give you some tips to keep the roller coaster ride of self-esteem fun.

Base your self-esteem on what God says – its easy to look only at others for finding your self-esteem. If your friends like you, your self esteem is good. If your boyfriend or girlfriend likes you, then you have good self-esteem. But what happens if your friends decide they don’t like you? Or what if you break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend? What happens then? Determine to base how you feel about yourself on what God says about you. God won’t ever break up with you or ditch you for someone better to hang out with. He thinks you’re the best!
Focus on strengths – its easy to start comparing yourself to others. You can see someone who is better at something that you are and get down on yourself. If you decide to focus on your strengths rather than the areas you are weak, you’ll find you’ll like yourself better!
Realize that a healthy self esteem takes work – Developing a self-esteem based on how God feels about you rather than what your emotions say takes time and work. Its a process of changing your thinking to line up with what God says about you. Don’t become discouraged if you don’t get it perfectly at first. Spend time reading good books to help you in this area and realize that it will take time to develop a healthy self-esteem.

God thinks you’re the best. Learning to rely on what he says about you, rather than how you feel about yourself will help you grow in developing a healthy self-esteem.