hm... i think for me, its very dependent... i made many friends a while back, which helped me use someone as a mirror for what positive self-esteem looks like in general life...

compared to my old self... i do believe i have a better self-esteem... because, like platinum said, there was an inward focus... learning to love oneself, coming to terms...reminding urself how important it is to you to have a good self-esteem... because it rewires your brain... like when trying new music... takes a while, but ur mind changes, and then its a norm...