Self-confidence is essential to living your best life and being the best version of yourself. Low self-esteem could be leading to depression, anxiety, and so many other issues. Also, a lack of self-confidence will hold you back from happiness. You will tend to think that you are not good enough, that you do not deserve to be happy or that you can not accomplish what you are dreaming of. Luckily, there are things that you can put into practice from today to overcome this negative thinking and boost your self-confidence.
Discover 9 ways to boost your self-confidence!
Self-confidence will have an impact both on the way you think about yourself, and what you think that you can accomplish. In fact, if you are confident about yourself, you will be more willing to take risks and therefore get more rewards and accomplishments. If you just think you can’t do it, chances are you won’t even try. To grow your self-confidence, you need to think about it as a muscle. If you don’t use this muscle for a long time, chances are it will get smaller and weaker. So, to make your self-confidence muscle grow, follow these tips! Ready?
Be mindful of your body language
First of all, when being in society, think about your body language and your posture. You should have a straight back and your chin up, which will make you look taller and more confident. Also, remember to make eye contact when discussing with someone. It will show the person in front of you that you are interested and comfortable. Non-verbal communication is as much important as to how people are going to react when they first meet you.
Empower yourself with knowledge
This is one of the key factors to boost your self-confidence: acquire as much knowledge as you possibly can. You could study or do your own research: it is so simple to access information nowadays! Think about books, the internet, magazines, online courses, or documentaries for example. You could also get a new hobby or learn a new language. Just remember one thing: knowledge is power. You will avoid being hard on yourself when you think you’re not good enough. And the more you’ll be knowledgeable, the more you’ll realize you can achieve anything!
Put in the work
Of course, you will have to put in the necessary work to learn a new skill. Let’s be honest, nobody can become fluent in Russian or be an expert at website designing without having to put a lot of hours into it. If you want to gain valuable knowledge, you will have to put a lot of time and effort into it. You should practice a new skill as much as possible. But once you’ll finally see the result of your hard work, the reward will be a huge boost in your self-confidence!
Celebrate your wins to boost your self-confidence
To boost your self-confidence, you should celebrate all your wins (even the small ones!). If you finished a big project, take time to reflect on what you accomplished, and be proud of yourself. Give yourself credit for something you’ve done. Indulge yourself and celebrate, even for a small victory. In one word: take pride in what you have accomplished.
Step outside your comfort zone
People with low self-confidence tend to hide in their comfort zone. They avoid taking risks because they don’t believe that they can succeed. Does this sound like you? Do you stick to what you’re good at? A great way to boost your self-confidence is to achieve something new. You will gain pride when you accomplish something different. Most importantly, have faith in yourself and don’t limit what you think you are capable of. Keep pushing and you might even discover a new passion!
Redefine failure
And after all, if you tried something new but didn’t quite succeed, don’t take it as a complete failure. I wrote a complete post about how to overcome your fear of failure (here), and redefining the way we think about the word failure is a big part of it. Basically, failing is an opportunity to learn and focus on what you need to work on, and you should perceive it as one more step to success!
Take care of yourself
The way we look plays an important role in our self-confidence. How we dress, put makeup on, is all about being more comfortable in our own skin, and feeling empowered. Who doesn’t’ like a new outfit for a date night or an important meeting? Moreover, exercising, eating, and sleeping habits are all ways to take better care of ourselves. Feeling comfortable in your own body is a powerful tool to boost your self-confidence. And that is why you should look after your own needs, and make self-care a priority!
Exercise to boost your self-confidence
As you know, exercising is essential for your well-being and physical health. This goes with taking care of yourself and of course, when you look good, you feel good! Sport will strengthen your body and fuel it with energy. And once you progress, you will feel physically more courageous and capable of anything, which will have an impact on your mind as well. Also, during a workout, the brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with improved mood and well-being. To keep motivation, find an activity that you like: if high cardio intensity is not your thing, try walking, yoga, or pilates. Whatever you choose, you will proud of yourself after a workout, resulting in a huge boost in self-confidence!
Be yourself
Last but not least, stop comparing yourself to others! Spending too much time on social media might result in lower self-confidence: you are only looking at what people want to display about their lives, and you might think that yours is not good enough. Make sure you know the difference between a perfect Instagram feed and real life! Lastly, don’t try to please everyone. Work on your true self and stop worrying about what people want you to be: just be the best version of yourself!
To conclude, building your self-confidence is unlikely to happen overnight. However, if you start putting these tips into practice from today, it will almost certainly have a positive impact on your life!