Do you know anyone with dyslexia or other learning difficulties? If so, please encourage them to read the following two articles, as they were written especially to remind them how wonderful they are and to help them cope with some of the special difficulties they may face in life.
But whether or not you may have such difficulties yourself, please read these articles too and put them into practice yourself. You too are a wonderful person, and you too will sometimes face difficulties that may cause you to lower your own self esteem. Remember it doesn't have to be this way!
Ten Steps
to Higher Self
Esteem
1) Look
at your experience as a whole. Recognise
the significance that your learning difference has for you in your life. Do
not blame or put yourself down in any way for any difficulties you have had or
still have.
Always
give yourself credit where it is due and never underestimate the value or
significance of any of your achievements.
3)
Recognise that you have faced difficulties and come
through them no matter
how imperfect you may sometimes
judge your
performance to be.
4)
Never
fear failure, simply acknowledge it as feedback.
If
something doesn't work out use the experience as an
opportunity
to learn what is needed in order to change the result next time.
5)
Be
flexible in all things. Realise that there is not
just one way to succeed and win in life. Find
what your talents and abilities are and nurture them.
This will
help to build a strong foundation from which you can move towards what is for
you success and a fulfilling life.
6)
Set
realistic goals and break tasks down into manageable chunks.
This will
help you to progress in a steady and consistent fashion and experience an
increasing sense of achievement.
7)
Be
your own judge and determine your own values and
standards.
If you are
true to yourself and make your sense of
self-worth independent of external factors you will greatly enhance your
self-esteem.
8)
Make a commitment with
yourself to use affirmations,
visualisation, positive thinking or any other technique that works for you
to build and reinforce your self-esteem.
9)
Make a firm commitment to be kind to yourself.
Appreciate
your strengths, acknowledge your weaknesses and learn from them but don’t dwell
on them.
Give yourself the priceless gift of unconditional positive
self-regard.
10)
Accept ups and downs and be aware of change so you can adapt and
move with it.
Most of all keep applying and living
the Ten Steps to Self Esteem as only
through working at them and believing in them will you gain the reward of
life-long higher self esteem.
John M.
Parke, ©1997 (dyslexic)
Counselling
Adviser to the Adult Dyslexia Organisation (UK)
Ten Tips
for Adults with
Specific Learning Difficulties
What do you like doing? What
are you good at?
Make a note of your strengths.
Try to become aware of yourself and the way you work or carry out everyday
tasks. People usually cope best when they know about themselves.
Be aware of how you feel and what
happens when you are tired, or stressed, and work out how to cope with it. People with Specific Learning Difficulties
are more prone to stress and tiredness - these can make it worse.
Therefore develop your coping strategies - do not give up on writing cheques
or memorising phone numbers. Have a go
at alternative ways of remembering things. Carry 'aids' around with you such as
checklists, Post-Its etc.
Consider
what you find difficult.
Realise that there are things which
everyone finds difficult.
Sometimes people push themselves too
hard.
However if you really cannot (for
example) do maths, then don't try for a job which might involve a lot of adding
up or measuring.
Have
an aim and go for it - on a small scale or on a
large scale.
This helps focus the mind in work
sessions.
Be
aware of what you are aiming for and where
you are going.
Think
positively; expect to succeed.
Or at least, do not expect to fail -
a 'failing complex' can quickly lead to failure. Sports people talk about
developing the 'inner game' - they go out and expect to win and this gives them
more confidence.
Decide
if you are going to tell people about your Specific Learning Difficulties,
and think about how you will say it, for example:
“It’s a different way of thinking
and working”
“My spelling is a bit unreliable but
I’m fine using a spellchecker on the computer”.
Remember
there are things that you can do (due to the way you think and how you see
things) that other people find almost
impossible ….
Adapted by Melanie Jameson from an
information sheet by Dorothy Gilroy, Bangor Dyslexia Unit