Why is the gym always recommended for low self esteem?

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I seem to think that is one of the answers some people will tell others to go and do when if they have self esteem issues and so on. To me, I don't feel motivated or passionate enough to really want to go to those places. I have a couple of weights at home which I use on occasions. I seem to feel that for men, its almost always the thing that gets recommended to us if we have issues about feeling bad about ourselves. Are there not any other ways to go about ? Can't they be taught to try and not feel bad by reassuring that the other person has some insecurities of their own so that they don't feel alone and that it doesn't matter really what you look like ?

I do seem to think that with social media and reality TV shows like Love Island, it seems to push across this narrative that that is the way a man has to look and to do so will get rid of all the insecurities about their body or any other issues to do with self esteem.

Gym is recommended because it is, for most people, good for self esteem. The reason is not primarily that it makes you look better but that you get physically stronger. Being physically strong is very good for your self esteem. It's probably some evolutionary reason for that. But to try to boost the self esteem by thinking that other people have insecurities or weaknesses is a bit dangerous, I think. It could lead into a thinking where your self esteem is dependent of you thinking you are better than these other people.

Because exercise can make you feel better, even if it seems counterintuitive cause you feel like you don't have the energy. Because if you set a little goal of an amount of exercise you want to get, and follow through it can be good for physical as well as mental health.

I do struggle with depression a bit, or actually quite a bit as I have reoccurring severe depression. but it does actually feel nice to go out and get moving around a bit, even if it is just for a short walk. And there is a little river near the trail by my apartment, so it is always possible to see ducks and canada geese but sometimes there are herons and pelicans to.

Because it actually feels good.

If one can finish several sets and reps, it can feel accomplishing...
If one can do it long term, there will be results.

If one can figure the trick, one would gain degrees of discipline...
If one can keep the discipline, one would able to apply it in other aspects of life.


That is, if one can go past certain dips of difficulty into eventual conditioning of one's body and mind into a habit, into a lifestyle...

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I'll be the odd man out here. I've suffered from low self esteem my whole life and I've rarely been to the gym. The few times I did go was because of health reasons. If being fitter and healthier gives you higher self esteem then go for it. Otherwise I found that working through why I have low self esteem has really helped. It's a self image problem. What is it that is causing your low self esteem? Changing that is what helped me to get better self esteem, not working out.

Lifting weights and exercising will make you feel better, going to a crowded gym might not make you feel better.

Because I have ME/CFS (chronic fatigue) I can't do very much exercise at all because it drains what little energy I have and then it takes days and sometimes weeks to recover, so I can't rely on exercise for my self esteem. (I do ride my bike but that's mostly for the pleasure of being outside and I get little exercise because I ride very slowly.) If it makes you feel a bit better, then why not, but if it's not for you, you don't have to do it.

You might feel better about yourself if you learn something new, by reading a book or watching a documentary, or learning a skill, like a new language or juggling. Anything that helps you feel accomplished can help. But the real solution is feeling good about yourself regardless of your accomplishments, simply because you are a worthwhile person just for being you.