Self-esteem (自尊) is the way we think about ourselves and the value we place on ourselves. But getting self-esteem can take plenty of effort for some people who have bad past experiences. So, how do you improve your self-esteem?

Learn to accept yourself

Whether you’re young or old, accepting yourself is the first step towards improving self-esteem. You should understand that each of us is made imperfect. It’s natural to feel bad about ourselves sometimes, but you should know that there are many things you can do to love yourself. You can start by listing all the good things about yourself.

Exercise and get a new hobby

Daily exercise can help you improve your immune system(免疫系统), keep fit, and increase your self-esteem and happiness. We may feel bored if we don’t have enough physical activity and exciting events. You can stop self-doubt by turning it into a new found hobby such as painting, swimming or planting your favorite plants.

Take care of yourself

If you’re under pressure or feel unhappy, you can get a new haircut, or spend a wonderful vacation to bring back your inner drive. Eating healthy food and taking enough rest and sleep are also very important to regaining self-esteem.

Help other people

A great way to feel good about yourself is to help other people. Through volunteer work, you can help people and may find yourself actually lucky enough.

Ask for help

Low self-esteem can be a big problem when everything seems not to work for you. So, as much as possible, ask for help from experts.

Don’t forget to take reasonable action, and don’t be shy to ask for help. In a word, you’ll improve self-esteem with proper ways.

What do people do with their old, out of date but still useful computers? Most people don’t know how to deal with them. Many old computers are put away. Many more are simply thrown away as rubbish.

Finally, some companies are thinking of ways to bring down the number of old computers. Sony has agreed to help recycle old Sony products (产品). Dell, Hewlett Packard and other companies now also take back some old computers of their own brands.

In some countries, laws have been passed, too. Computer companies have to pay for collecting and recycling their used products. And 70% of the computer waste must be recycled. The idea behind the laws is that computer companies themselves should pay for the cost. That will encourage them to make computers which are easier and cheaper to repair and upgrade (升级).

Yet many people are throwing away good computers, while others cannot afford them at all. Hundreds of organizations are working on this problem. They collect and repair old computers. Some also teach others how to repair computers. These repaired computers then go to schools, charities (慈善团体) or people who need them. Giving a used computer to one of these organizations can turn one person’s rubbish into someone else’s useful things and cut down waste, too.

Most students do not enjoy doing housework. Some of them think that cleaning the bathroom or cooking dinner for the family is boring. However, if you try the following ways, you will find that housework is not as boring as you think.

You should learn to do small things, for example, you can do the dishes, sweep the floor or make the bed. Part of growing up is to be able to take care of yourself. Doing some small things around the house shows that you are becoming responsible (有责任感的).

In fact, it’s too tiring for one person to do all the housework alone. It’s good to divide housework into different parts. All the family members (成员) will do the housework together. Dividing housework among all the family members will make everyone’s job much easier.

Cooking is one part of housework. Cooking can be very funny if you put your heart into it. If you learn how to cook your favorite food, you will also get a feeling of satisfaction.