When your confidence is down, it’s easy to feel alienated from the world. While other girls are taking action and risks and achieving success, you’re stuck in the doldrums because you don’t feel good enough to put yourself out there. This can lead to missed opportunities, unused potential and, worst of all, regret.
Self-confidence is a difficult mistress, but something we should all be grateful for is the fact that it isn’t dished out at birth, with some getting lots of it and others getting only morsels; instead, it is something that anyone can have as much of at anytime – or as little of. Often, the choice is down to YOU.
Dress To Impress
The old saying goes that clothes make the man – but they also make the woman. If you wear your baggiest trousers and your dowdiest tops whenever you leave the house, it’s going to affect your self-esteem. You’re going to feel as baggy and as dowdy as the clothes you’re wearing. You’re going to want to quickly nip to the shops, hope you don’t get seen, before quickly zipping back home.
Wearing your best clothes that accentuate your positive qualities makes you feel good. When you look amazing, you feel amazing. You don’t need to spend a fortune on clothes; shop around for those that you know will make you look and feel great, or rummage around your wardrobe and rediscover a sharp dress you haven’t worn for a long time.
Another tip on how to improve self confidence is to improve your posture.
If you’ve read a novel, you’ll know exactly how a writer describes a person with no self-confidence:
“She hobbled down the street, shoulders slouched, eyes fixed on the pavement. She scuttled quickly around the corner, hiding her face with her hand.”
Does this sound like you? Very possibly. To boost your confidence, it’s important that you improve your posture. Always stand up tall and erect. Stand with confidence and command. Keep your head up and always make eye contact with whomever you’re talking to. Don’t avoid their gaze, but lock into it.
Get Off Social Media
As you know, girls are very good at comparing themselves to others. Sometimes we’ll compare our lives to our best friend, sometimes we’ll compare ourselves it with a friend we’ve not seen for 5 years – and sometimes we compare it with Angelina Jolie.
Social media makes it easy for us to compare ourselves to others. If you’re the kind of girl who feels down whenever you see how well someone else is doing, it might be a good idea to temporarily disable your profiles. Freeing yourself from social media means you can concentrate on your own goals without feeling the pressure of needing to compete with someone else’s life.
Let Go Of The Past
This is another important tip on how to improve self confidence. Sometimes, it’s a painful past that can damage our self-esteem in the present moment. For example, a few years ago I missed out on a job I really wanted, and which I also thought I was highly capable of doing. It would have meant a move-up in my career.
Missing out on it really knocked my self-esteem. For months I wallowed in self-pity and convinced myself I just wasn’t good enough to make the step-up. I stopped applying for new jobs and instead remained at my present one. It was all I was good for, I reasoned.
Such thinking stops you from getting back on the horse and trying again. Failures of the past are teachers that tell us which mistakes to avoid the second time around. Use your experience to your advantage, but never let it dominate your current thinking.
Be Nice To Yourself!
When we’re feeling low, it can be hard to look at ourselves in the mirror. But whenever we do, we invariably criticise ourselves:
“I look so ugly right now. Why would any man find me attractive?”
“I can’t leave the house this week – I look terrible!”
Stop being so harsh on yourself! From now on, be compassionate to yourself and give yourself some praise. Focus on your strengths, forget about your weaknesses and be kind. You deserve it!
Stay Away From Negative People
Avoid Perfectionism
One of the reasons girls lose their confidence is because they haven’t achieved their set goals.
But sometimes, our goals are unrealistic. When we fall short, we feel bad.
Instead of aiming for 100% perfection each time, remind yourself that you’re only human. Set realistic targets, avoid perfectionism and be happy with what you’ve got to offer.
Be Thankful
Another wonderful tip on how to improve self confidence is to simply be thankful. People say that they love money because it gives them confidence. Likewise, if we have no money it can really drain our confidence – especially if we also have no jobs.
No matter the reason for your lack of confidence right now, you should list all of the things in your life that you should be thankful for. This might include your friends, your family, your pets, your health, your youth and so on. List as many things as possible!
Exercise
I was going to suggest that you hit the gym, but not every girl enjoys going to the gym to workout. If this sounds like you, you could always exercise out at home, or even go for a cycle.
Exercise gets your blood pumping and oxygen flowing, which in turn boosts your body’s production of happy hormones. Moreover, exercise makes you feel good about yourself because you’re getting in shape and going some way to achieving your desired look.
Improve Your Diet
Our final tip on how to improve self confidence is to improve your diet. As well as exercising, improving your diet can help to build self-esteem. Junk food is stuffed with bad fats that can actually cause depression. Fruit and vegetables, conversely, are loaded with vital micronutrients that not only improve your health, but which also make you feel amazing because you know that you’re eating healthily.
Waking up to a powerful breakfast crammed with fruit and vegetables is a great way to start the day positively. It can give you energy and the confidence needed to seize the day.
How to improve self confidence? What are your best tips?
Stay happy and healthy!