Everyone experiences a confidence knock occasionally, but what do you do when your confidence isn’t really high to begin with, or you struggle to get up after a blow to it?
Confidence doesn’t come easy to everyone, and a survey in 2022 found that 85% of Americans struggle with low confidence. But just because it’s low, it doesn’t mean you cannot boost it. It won’t be easy, and the path to increased confidence will push you out of your comfort zone, but the results can be worth it, even if the process is lengthy.
So, how can you boost your confidence?
Identify your insecurities
Start by looking at precisely what you feel insecure about or what is knocking your confidence. Is it your height, weight, or inability to talk to people in groups or one-on-one? It could be absolutely anything at all, and even the most confident of people can still struggle with certain aspects of their bodies, behaviors, or thought patterns. But once you know what is triggering you and impacting your confidence and self-belief, you can then address them.
Make an action plan
What do you want to improve or change, and how can you get from where you are now to where you want to be? It might be that your smile is making you feel insecure, so talking to a dentist like https://www.jeffersondentalclinics.com/ can help you to rectify your dental concerns, or it could be that you want to improve your fitness so you have more stamina and don’t get out of breath so quickly, or maybe you want to pluck up the courage to leave your employment or go for that promotion you keep passing over. Whatever you must do, consider what it might take and how you can get there.
Go easy on yourself
The last thing you want to be doing is putting too much pressure on yourself. Being kind to yourself and allowing yourself to go at a pace that suits you, not someone else’s idea of progress can help you to make the changes you need without things backfiring and having the opposite effect. It’s okay not to want to push yourself every day or tackle all of your concerns at once. Permitting yourself to be who you are and taking your time building your confidence while recognizing it’s not a bad thing can be a massive help as you embark on this journey.
Recognise what you are good at
When you focus on the things you don’t like about yourself or that you feel you aren’t good at, you will likely be overlooking all of the positive qualities you have. Instead of putting all of your attention on the bad parts of your life, look at the good. Sure, you might not be completely satisfied with different aspects, but there are also many things you can be happy about. Take some time and look at what you like about yourself, be it your characteristics, parts of your body, things you enjoy, friendships, or absolutely anything, and then use this to help you make the changes in areas that can boost your self-confidence. This way, if negative thoughts become intrusive, you can push them out by focusing on the positives in your life to help you overcome self-esteem issues and make the changes you want to.
Low self-esteem and confidence are always easy to overcome, and it will likely be a long journey to get from where you are to where you need to be. But by addressing and recognizing your concerns, focusing on the positives, and giving yourself some slack, you can improve your self-esteem and confidence to be on your way to being where you want to be.