Everyone has times when they don’t feel like their best, most attractive or confident selves. Working through difficult times like these can actually make you stronger and more confident in the long run. When you’re in the middle of one of these stretches, it can be difficult to know how to work your way out of it. If this sounds familiar to you, try some of these tips to boost your confidence:
Change Your Appearance
Looking good can greatly increase your confidence. While you don’t need to drastically alter your appearance, simply taking a shower, shaving, putting on makeup and dressing nicely can help you feel ready to start that day. Again, this doesn’t mean you need to buy designer or expensive clothing, it just means dress for the situation (or even overdress a little) to help you feel special.
Another idea is to change up your style. If you’ve had the same hair color for ages, try changing it (you can do it yourself at home). Try some new up-do’s. Even just changing your makeup routine (hello, red lipstick!) or your shoe choice can give you a little boost.
Stop Reading Print Magazines
Studies show that women feel crummy about themselves, and their long-term self-esteem suffers, when they read print magazines. Looking at Photoshopped photos of models gets even models feeling less attractive, because even though we may consciously know that the images are fantasy, our subconscious brain still picks up on the harmful messaging; that we must look flawless, skinny and sultry if we expect to be loveable and sexy. And it’s all in an effort to sell us more products we really don’t need.
So don’t listen. Better yet — don’t expose your brain to that messaging at all; read online blogs or indie magazines, like Urbanette, instead.
Be Grateful
It’s easy to get fixated on the things you want rather than being thankful for what you already have. This often leads you to focus on your weaknesses as a person rather than your strengths.
One way to reorganize your thought process is to write down three things you are grateful for and why each day. These things don’t need to be groundbreaking gratitudes, but rather small victories such as the sunny sky overhead or the cup of coffee you grabbed with a friend. Remembering to focus on the positive things in your life helps you rediscover your confidence in a real way.
Try Meditation
This might seem a little too new age for some people, but true self-confidence is all about self-awareness. If you become more aware of your feelings and why you are having those specific feelings, it is easier to accept the things you cannot change and be confident to affect the things you can.
One of the objectives during meditation is to observe yourself and surroundings without judgement. You can’t avoid or make something happen during meditation, nor are you trying to. Just sit quietly and observe (and let go of) your thoughts as a third party. Through a more thorough understanding of yourself, you can acknowledge both your strengths and weaknesses, without judgement. This eventually leads to inner calm and confidence — I promise!
Exercise
Physical activity can burn off some of your pent up emotions. Going to the gym, joining a sports team or doing any sort of regular exercise can get your body in shape and improve your mental health. Getting in a rhythm of working out also creates positive momentum and something for you to build on. The more you work out, the more you’ll want to work out. And you just might make some new friends while you’re at it.
Where meditation is all about internal and mental results, working out is all about the external, something you can see in the mirror as well as feel in your energy levels.
Think Positive
When it comes to self-confidence, your thoughts can be your best friends or your worst enemies. It’s important to remember that your emotions mirror your thoughts. So, if you are focusing on negative thoughts, you’re more likely to feel sad or angry.
It is up to you to decide which thoughts are helpful, positive ones, and which are harmful. By discarding the negative thoughts, you will be able to focus on being productive and feeling confident.
What do you do when you’re feeling down, to make yourself feel better?
Please keep up the good work of educating people. Thanks for posting such article…
Boosting your confidence is mostly an inward quest. Everything starts with the state of mind you have, a lot of people pay attention to there body to feel more confidence ( it is just temporary security, ) Getting more confidence means facing your inner demons ( fear, anger, mind chatter) Only 1 thing will change your mind in the best way possible. Learn the nature of your mind itself, learn how life works in general.
Another one just pat yourself on the back of your shoulder on every little successful task, this will lighten the mood to try again and will also make you look forward to appreciation for yourself. This will develop self-esteem. And I’m not a confident person but love patting myself and look forward to it ?. Crazy as I may sound THIS IS ME ?. Try it, there is no harm in it!
Be selfish. Be rude and mean to people. Express the weirdest shit that comes to your mind in any way you wanna. Imitate people who don’t give a fuck. These all seem like bad ideas, but they do counter social anxiety. If it becomes a way of life, you won’t feel bad. If it doesn’t, then it’ll just be a phase. The end result should be the same: being comfortable with yourself in social situations.
I love how they show this to be confident for some physical bullshit, like a sport or some shit like that, whereas what I’m using this for is just talking to people without being awkward as fuck.
The funny thing is that doing a regular exercise program can help build confidence. And if you try talking to someone and they behave rudely you can kick their ass.
What should I do if I’m too negative, I’m also fun and loving but I have this consistent dark side…, Any helpful suggestions?
What if the negative, cancerous people in your life are your parents? you can’t just throw them out of your life. Easier said than done.
Good Video article! I recently had this issue and it was due to work. I got a new job and removed certain people from my life, and I am doing 110% better!! Screw those energy draining losers!!
This world is so so fucked up and superficial its truly sickening.. If someone makes fun of another just solely on their looks, is the single most immature and unfair evil one can do. Everyone awakes with life at birth and just looks how they look and is how they are so we should all think of that before judging anyone but its sadly a trait and/or characteristic of being a human we are all guilty of at some point. “Don’t be quick to judge/ you may not know the hardships people don’t speak of/ it’s best to step back, and observe with couth/FOR WE ALL MUST MEET OUR MOMENT OF TRUTH.
Ok, ill take this as a challenge to me!!! this coming week iI will represent myself to the manager that I want to be the head chef for our upcoming food festival challenge at school. lots of my friends have high hopes and believing in me. I know I can do this I got them at my back!!! lol, urg I’m not a risk taker, afraid of rejection but let’s give this a try!!! yeah!!!