Do you feel a lack of confidence in yourself? Do you not like yourself as a person? Let’s find out some effective and healthy practices that can help you regain your self-confidence.
Confidence is the key to authentic living, and most people do not feel confident about themselves. Due to the social stereotypes and standards set by the capitalist idea, people want to feel confident about the things they own or through some achievement, but they never feel confident about themselves as they really are. If you are also suffering from a lack of confidence, you can already relate to this. Whether you are appearing for public speaking or even a job interview, confidence plays a vital role, and sadly, even dating can matter more than your level of confidence.
Confidence comes from within and not outside. Therefore, gaining materialistic belongings might not help in the long run. Some people do not even like their own color and shape, which makes them the biggest impostor to their own confidence. One must learn how to be comfortable and confident in one’s own skin in order to proceed in life. There are many benefits to self-confidence, and everyone should be confident in themselves and in their abilities. While narcissistic people are mostly confident about themselves, narcissism is not the right way to achieve confidence, as it also makes you self-centered, and in modern days, most people are self-centered only. If you are looking forward to improving your confidence level, here are 20 effective practices that can help you out.
- Do Not Compare Yourself with Others
Comparing ourselves with others is considered to be the biggest enemy of our self-confidence. This comparative thought only shrinks our pride and confidence as we tend to compare their strength and uniqueness with our own weaknesses and follies. If the comparison was made from a fair point, we would have compared our strengths with theirs instead of our weaknesses. This comparison is an unhealthy habit, and it creates a distorted reality that we cannot be better ever. Even in the modern days of social media, we are more likely to post unnaturally positive and sanitized versions of ourselves, as we do not want people to know about our real selves and follies. For example, someone uploading pictures of mountains can make you feel bad about working in a cubicle on a Monday morning, but in reality, you should not feel that way. You will get your time to go for mountain trips as well, but we tend to rush our emotions, and that leads to sadness and dissatisfaction. Do not focus on others, and focus on your growth. Remember, growth is common but subjective for all.
- Stop Self-Sabotaging before Others Do
Throughout your life, a lot of people will doubt you and your abilities. You can deal with that when the hate and doubt come from outside, but it can get difficult when you self-sabotage. Such self-defeating behaviors can be considered as a clash between our conscious mind and subconscious thoughts. Getting high intoxicated before your big meeting, procrastinating during assignments, wasting money in gambling and expensive goods, eating junk food on whim; these are a few classic examples of a self-sabotaging attitude that is present in a majority of people. Instead of getting stuck in a perpetual cycle of self-nihilation, you need to constantly work on self-confidence by stopping self-loathing and these harmful habits. Stopping these habits might not be an easy task, but it is absolutely worth it if you can achieve that control over yourself. Identify your own triggers and respond to them immediately to feel better. You should also seek help from others and do not be afraid to ask.
- Your Body, Your Choice
We always have a choice, even when we claim there isn’t any. Whether you want to treat your body as a temple or a trash can is completely up to you. When you take care of your physical health, it automatically has a positive effect on your mental health as well. This is not about your regular health checkup that takes place only once or twice a year, as you would have to take some responsibilities here. It starts with eating healthy food, getting enough sleep, and doing regular exercise, which helps us stay strong, fit, and confident about our strength and appearance. If you are struggling with gaining ample motivation, then you can also join a group or ask your friends to be a part of this healthy regime. While getting into shape is not necessary, staying fit is always necessary for everyone.
- Take Pride in Your Appearance
People have a tendency to bully others, and you might have already felt it, which is also one of the major reasons for a lack of self-confidence in adulthood. Try not to think about others and take complete control over your appearance. How do you usually feel when you put on a niche outfit and have to meet a lot of people? Try to have a daily skin care and workout routine to keep your health and appearance presentable. Spend some extra time on grooming and wear some clothes that help to embrace your authentic self. It will put a significant boost in confidence.
- Restart after Hiatus
It is pretty hard to feel good about yourself when you are having a bad day or even a bad week. You can have a mountain of work to do, and that can obstruct you from maintaining your hobbies or engaging in some activity. If there is anything that you left before but are willing to restart, this would provide the right chance. With a simple search, you can also find multiple apps for scheduling, which can help you stay on time. Make sure to complete your to-do lists instead of just stacking work and products through wish lists on different apps.
- Grab Some Daily Inspiration
Sometimes it gets hard to get out of the curve, and there is no way denying that we all need a little push in our lives in order to go ahead. Therapy works well when you are getting through some mental health issues, but the professionals are not going to treat you with motivation. For that, you need motivational speakers or influencers who can influence you to do something good for yourself as well as for others. You can easily find plenty of motivational figures, and if you are unable to find such people, you can also follow different channels on YouTube and social media to get a daily dose of motivation. Whether you watch them at night or in the morning, they can offer you a subtle dose of optimism that stays with you for the rest of the day. Do not just take inspiration but also implement it in your own way. You can seek self-help books, podcasts, or any other medium that you find engaging and then utilize them as part of the healing process. Seeking knowledge and wisdom is what keeps us ahead in life.
- Keep Your Desk Maintained
A messy room or a messy desk is also a reflection of a messy person. Here, messy is not referred to as dirty but disoriented and unorganized, much like our mental health and its twisted forms. Keeping a tidy and organized room can provide you with a sense of satisfaction that stays with you for a long time. Keeping your desk and the surrounding area clear can also offer a clear state of mind, which brings peace. When your desk is clean, organized, and methodical, it showcases your organized personality with attention to detail. This also works as a motivational boost and allows you to stay confident about your work and personality.
- Ask for Feedback and Review
Cynicism and self-doubt are common virtues among most human beings. Sometimes it can occur from the fear of feedback. A lot of people do not ask for feedback from their seniors or even the customers, with the fear that they will say something negative. However, avoiding feedback is not the right way to constructive criticism. Be confident in your work and stand strong to receive negative reviews if there are any. Learn from them, but do not let them mess with your mental peace, as you can be better. Criticism can sometimes blow your ego, but it can also lead to success. When you receive negative feedback, it provides an opportunity for you to rectify yourself and act on it. It also showcases your willingness to fix things, and that’s a virtue you should be confident about. You can become stronger and more confident when you can handle criticism straight away.
- Set Realistic Goals
You need to set both smaller and bigger goals in order to reach a level of satisfaction and happiness. However, it is also important to set realistic goals, or else, we humans can start expecting a lot from ourselves, and the unmet goals can further lead to disappointment and sadness. Smaller goals are more achievable and can offer you a sudden burst of happiness upon achievement. It works like milestones on a long journey. Your bigger goals should lie at the end of the journey so that you know where you are headed and how many milestones need to be crossed in order to reach the destination.
- Make the Route with Blueprint
When you have a clear vision of your goals, you can easily plan your route by identifying the hurdles that come along the way. When you achieve a certain goal, you will know what steps helped you reach there, and then you can follow that route for every task like a blueprint to success.
- Focus on the Body Language
Confidence is a mixed pot of a variety of elements, and body language plays a vital role there. You would be amazed to know that there are certain postures or body positions that can help to reduce the level of cortisol in your blood, which is known as the stress hormone. Some positions can also help you produce more testosterone, which can help to stay in control, and an assertive posture can also signify confidence that oozes even without making any communication with anyone. You can easily find videos on body language explained by the experts.
- Hypnotherapy Can Help!
The subconscious human mind tends to control our feelings and how we feel about ourselves. The subconscious thoughts can diminish our self-worth, and it further leads to self-deprecation and ultimately ruins our self-confidence. Do you know who the rude critic is for us? It is the inner mind that keeps speaking to you, and those are your thoughts only. With the help of hypnotherapy, it is possible to rewire our subconscious mind in a healthy and positive way that empowers us. It can also help to get rid of the negative thoughts.
- Resistance Grows Confidence
Struggle is something we all complain about, but it is also something that helps us reach the heights of success from the bottom. Struggles can stop us, but when we overcome them with the act of resistance, it offers us a special feeling of confidence that we can deal with any situation. Cherish your personal growth and how far you have come. With this confidence and positive feeling, you can grow further. Most successful people in this world have gone through a fair share of struggle in life. So do not sulk, stay confident, and face them head-on.
- Help Others
It might sound clichéd, but helping others can offer you the greatest boost of confidence. There is a savior complex among all of us, and even though we are struggling ourselves, we want to save others. Sharing your knowledge, privileges, or wealth with needy people can greatly boost your confidence and morale with a good spirit. Be confident about the fact that you are a good man and are trying to help others. The greatest source of strength for Superman was not just the sun but the love for people that makes him confident to fight evil.
This path of gaining confidence and believing in yourself is long and seeks consistency. Follow these aforementioned practices and see the change in yourself.
