Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to do or say something, but you didn’t do it? Maybe because you were afraid, scared. Maybe you were worried about what people will think or whether you would embarrass yourself.
If this is you, you are not alone.
Most of us do not believe in ourselves enough or think we have the right to take up space. So, we shrink ourselves, avoid trying new things because we are scared of failing, think negatively and look down on ourselves.
However, self-confidence is something you can build and you can start now. In this article, I will be sharing 10 practical tips that can help you be more confident in yourself.
10 Practical Ways to Build Your Self-confidence
Here are 10 practical ways you can build your self-confidence:
- Challenge Your Negative Thoughts: Lack of self-confidence comes from the way you think. If you constantly see yourself as inferior and think of yourself negatively, you can’t be confident.
For example, if you find yourself regularly saying words like, “I am not good enough. I never do things well, etc.” Then, you need to start speaking positively like, “I can do it. I deserve good things, etc.”
So, the first step to build your confidence is to stop thinking negatively.
How to stop thinking negatively:
- Be conscious of what you think about so you can question it.
- Read affirmation cards regularly.
- Surround yourself with people who think positive thoughts and give positive energy.
- Improve Yourself Daily: If you want to become confident, you must take actions that will increase your confidence. For example, if you want to become more confident at speaking up at work, start by speaking up among your friends. The more you do this, the more your confidence gradually improves.
Another example is if you are nervous about attending events or networking with new people, you can start talking to people in your church, your neighborhood, or even at the bus stop.
The more you do this, the more confident you will become.
- Accept Yourself for Who You Are: Self-awareness is very important to build your confidence. When you accept who you are, you start seeing the good and uniqueness in yourself. And when you do this, you stop comparing yourself to others.
For example, you have a co-worker who is always speaking up in meetings and you start comparing yourself to them and feeling inferior.
But once you accept that you are not an outspoken person, then you start seeing your own unique points like how you listen well, how you pay attention to details, etc.
- Learn New Skills: A very good way to build your confidence is to learn new skills. When you know you can do something well, it changes how you think of yourself. Start by picking a skill or something you have always wanted to try or learn. It doesn’t have to be something complicated or big.
Once you learn this skill, your confidence starts to grow. You start thinking, “if I can do this, I can do that other thing too.”
For example, if you have always wanted to learn how to create designs and you start learning how to use Canva. As time goes on, you can start thinking of creating videos. Because you now have the mindset of, “if I could learn how to create designs, I can also learn how to create videos.”
- Reduce Your Use of Social Media: What you see on social media can seriously affect your self-confidence. This is why you need to be careful about it.
For example, I used to spend hours on Instagram and always ended up feeling like I was inferior and worthless compared to other people my age. This feeling only reduced when I finally decided to reduce the time I spent on the app.
Also Read: Social Media Pressure: How to Use Social Media Wisely and Avoid Digital Burnout
- Focus on Achieving Your Goals: Confidence comes from taking action. The more you set goals and achieve them, the more confident you become. You start to trust yourself more and believe in yourself.
For example, if you set a goal to read one book this month and actually finish it, that is a win. And it will remind you that you can commit to something and follow through. This builds your confidence, little by little.
- Take Care of Your Appearance: Taking care of how you look can help you become more confident. As the saying goes, “If you look good, you feel good.”
When you know you look good, it changes the way you carry yourself.
For example, there are certain outfits that once I wear, I feel really confident. The way I walk changes. I stand taller and I speak better.
5 simple ways to take care of your appearance:
- Take regular showers and moisturize your skin.
- Wear clean and well-fitting clothes even when you are at home.
- Style your hair in a way that makes you feel good.
- Use a nice fragrance or deodorant.
- Keep your nails trimmed and clean or even better, get them done.
All this seems little but it can go a long way in helping you become more confident.
- Cut Off Toxic Relationships: If you are in a relationship whether it is a friendship or a romantic relationship where you are made to feel negative about yourself, cut it off.
If your friends constantly say or do things that makes you doubt yourself or feel inferior, it might be time to leave. Because if you continue hearing those toxic statements, it starts registering in your subconscious and you start believing it.
For example, if you share something you are proud of and your friend brushes it off or makes you feel silly for being excited, that needs to change.
- Exercise Regularly: Exercise is not just beneficial to your physical health; it can also help you to build your self-confidence. According to a 2022 study, regular exercising can help in improving your self-esteem.
For example, you start exercising three times a week. At first, it feels like a struggle. But with time, you notice you are getting better. You feel less tired and your clothes start to fit better. This can significantly improve your mood and your confidence levels.
ALSO READ: Practical Tips to Improve your self-esteem
- Remind Yourself of Your Achievements and Successes Regularly: Sometimes, you can become so focused on what you are yet to achieve and forget what you have already achieved.
This is why you need to regularly take time to pause and look back at how far you have come and what you have achieved.
For example, maybe you once finished a project that scared you or passed an exam you thought you would fail. Write those things down. So, you can read and remind yourself of them on days when you feel low. They are proof that you have done this before and you can do it again.
Need Help Building Your Confidence?
Sometimes, the reason you are not confident is related to things like anxiety, your past experiences, the negative thoughts you have carried for years, etc. And while the ten tips above can help, they may not be enough on their own.
At Mycarebuddy, we can connect you with kind, professional therapists who will help you understand where your low confidence is coming from and how to overcome it. You don’t have to do it all by yourself.