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The Self-Esteem Companion: Simple Exercises to Help You Challenge Your Inner Critic and Celebrate Your Personal Strengths

Self-esteem is an important part of leading a happy, fulfilling life. How we feel about ourselves affects every aspect of our lives, from the way we function at work, in love, and in sex, to the way we parent, to what we strive to achieve.

The Self-Esteem Companion is a step-by-step guide filled with straightforward and effective techniques to help you dramatically improve the way you think and feel about yourself. From the authors of the best-selling Self-Esteem, which has sold more than 700,000 copies, this collection of simple exercises will help you talk back to your inner critic, realistically assess yourself, and begin to celebrate your personal strengths.

With this step-by-step advice, learn to:


Break free from negative self-concepts and self-defeating behavior Deal with mistakes, “shoulds,” and criticism Gain self-acceptance and a sense of competence and belonging Understand and overcome your limitations from the past Feel more confident in personal and professional relationships

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

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About the author

Matthew McKay

170 books305 followers
Matthew McKay, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the Wright Institute in Berkeley, and author of more than 30 professional psychology and self-help books which have sold a combined total of more than 3 million copies. He is co-founder of independent self-help publisher, New Harbinger Publications. He was the clinical director of Haight Ashbury Psychological Services in San Francisco for twenty five years. He is current director of the Berkeley CBT Clinic. An accomplished novelist and poet, his poetry has appeared in two volumes from Plum Branch Press and in more than sixty literary magazines. His most recent novel, Wawona Hotel, was
published by Boaz Press in 2008.

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5 stars
52 (35%)
4 stars
37 (25%)
3 stars
39 (26%)
2 stars
16 (10%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for SofiaBooklover_.
137 reviews5 followers
October 1, 2024
Una guía práctica con ejercicios sencillos para mejorar la autoestima y fortalecer la valía personal, influyendo positivamente en el ámbito sentimental, emocional y profesional 🤍

✨Es una lectura que leí hace tiempo y la cual se me hizo bastante pesada pero que me fue súper bien para mí día a día y la recomiendo muchísimo!
Profile Image for Dan Stern.
952 reviews11 followers
March 18, 2019
I particularly like this book because it has many exercises to help the reader explore and tame their "inner critic" as well as to increase the reader's awareness and transform their thinking. Awareness is the first step to personal transformation.
Profile Image for Lynda.
2,497 reviews121 followers
August 1, 2009
I used this for daily journaling.
Profile Image for Gretchen Corn.
51 reviews3 followers
February 23, 2022
One of the best books I've read on self-esteem. How do we develop our sense of self? Is it accurate? Do we live based on our values or whatever was drilled into our heads? This book helps sift through this and I've found it helpful personally and professionally.
Profile Image for Behnam.
93 reviews6 followers
June 3, 2021
کتاب خوبیه، پیشنهاد می‌کنم به همراه یه درمانگر پیش برده بشه تا اثرگذاریش بیشتر شه
40 reviews
March 7, 2025
I thought it was okay, some exercises really helped, like the one that says to breath and hold an object in hand until it falls.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews