Xyriel Manabat Relates To Teens With Low Self-Esteem, 'Hindi Rin Naman Ako 100 Percent Confident'

How do you raise your teen to be more confident about themselves? 

Former child star Xyriel Manabat, who is now all grown-up, shares that she is still a work in progress.

The little girl who played Young Madam Anna in the show 100 Days To Heaven has been making the headlines lately, thanks to her Star Magic comeback and bold chest piercings. While she’s gained a lot of praise for her unapologetic self-confidence, the 18-year-old recently shared that she still doubts herself sometimes. 

“To be honest, hindi rin naman ako 100 percent confident. Hindi po full pa, kumbaga dumadaan din ako sa phase na pinapagdadaanan nila ngayon na medyo may nagho-hold back pa ako kung ipo-post ko ito. Awkward stage tapos hindi nila alam kung maganda ba,” Xyriel revealed to ABS-CBN when asked to give advice for building self-esteem. 

“I’ve been there and hanggang ngayon pinagdadaanan ko 'yun. So ang masasabi ko po sa inyo, dadaan at dadaan kayo diyan pero ang una po talagang kailangan niyo gawin is acceptance,” she said, acknowledging that moments of self-doubt are naturally part of the journey to self-love. 

“Kailangan niyo talaga i-embrace yung sarili niyo. Look at your flaws as your strength, tapos huwag niyo pong isipin na need mong i-compare yung sarili mo sa iba, kasi 'yun talaga yung dudurog sa confidence niyo,” she added.

“So go lang, pagdaanan lang po nila 'yun, mahiya lang sila, bumaba lang yung self-confidence nila, maging sensitive sila about things. Pero lalakas at lalakas po yung tingin nila sa sarili nila on their way po,” she concluded. 

Similarly, Xyriel mentioned in another interview that she posts daring photos to express herself, not to call attention. 

Tips to improve self-esteem among teens

Amy Morin, a licensed clinical social worker said, that teens will become more self-confident if parents make confidence-building a regular part of their parenting. 

Here are some tips she shared in an article by Very Well Family.

1. Praise effort instead of outcome

Regardless of the result of their studies or projects, acknowledge your teen's energy and effort. This will teach them that every effort that they make is worthwhile, and they don't have to succeed all the time to receive validation.

2. Encourage them to try new things

If you expose your child to new opportunities, such as volunteer work, new classes, or even part-time  jobs, they will learn new things about themselves that can make them feel more confident.

3. Don't micromanage

Guide them, but at the same time, give them enough freedom to do what they think is right. Overtime, they will learn how to make better decisions if you give them the opportunity to do so.

This story originally appeared on Candymag.com. *Minor edits have been made by the SmartParenting.com.ph editors.

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