Low self-esteem and self-hatred come from an emotionally charged negative view of ourselves, based on exaggerating and fixating upon our shortcomings and ignoring or denying our strong points. With equanimity toward ourselves – avoiding the extremes of self-recrimination, self-pampering and self-neglect – we become open to developing a more positive attitude toward ourselves. With such an attitude, we can nurture our good qualities to become of more help to both others and ourselves.