The Self-Esteem Habit for Teens: 50 Simple Ways to Build Your Confidence Every Day

This addition to the Instant Help Solutions series advises teenage readers on how to develop self-esteem. Schab emphasizes that self-esteem isn’t simply about feeling good about oneself but about being fair-minded, reflective, and compassionate. She provides 50 “thinking habits” to aid them in building positive self-images. For each habit, she includes scenarios in which a teenager struggles with negative feelings (“Michael hated his sensitivity. Most of his friends liked horror films and contact sports, but Michael preferred happy endings and working out solo).” In each scenario, a peer or adult urges the teenager toward reframing their thinking by, for example, celebrating their strengths, finding more than one source for self-esteem, facing challenges head-on, and setting boundaries. Though the layout is fairly text-dense, readers are sure to find helpful techniques for building themselves up in the real world. Ages 13–up. (Jan.)