Here are 20 powerful ways to quickly boost your self-esteem so you can start feeling more confident. The next time you are feeling bad about yourself, try out one of these simple self-confidence-boosting tips. Whether you are lacking confidence in one particular area, or struggling to be confident in any area, these strategies may be helpful. One of the best ways to improve your self-confidence is to remind yourself what your strengths are and consider ways to tap into those strengths more frequently.
Of course, the biggest thing you can do to build self-confidence is get some successful experiences under your belt – however small they may be – but there are some other things you can try. If you are not a big fan of worksheets or writing in general, there are a few other activities and exercises you can do to build up your self-confidence and self-esteem. With devoted effort, concentrated focus, and the willingness to practice the new tools, you can increase your confidence and experience an increased sense of confidence. To build a stronger sense of self-esteem, as well as the confidence that comes with it, strive to build good habits (and bust some bad ones!).
One of the first, most crucial steps in building a positive outlook on self is to stop comparing yourself to others. Because self-esteem is strongly linked to social acceptance, one of the ways that individuals may attempt to boost self-esteem is to portray themselves favorably to others, to gain social approval. People who have a high self-esteem usually feel good about themselves, and they enjoy their own identity and the way others see it. One reason is that people with self-confidence tend to have stronger boundaries, prioritizing their needs and emotions.
Because the other persons approval cannot always be guaranteed – nobody is safe from feeling rejected or excluded from time to time – trying to raise your self-esteem through the others approval can be an emotional roller-coaster. We can control it, or not, and if we are feeling a lot of criticism or rejection from others, it is easy for our self-esteem to take a hit, unless we are supporting it through other means. Such individuals may feel good about themselves most of the time, but they are also typically extremely susceptible to criticism and negative feedback, and react to it in ways that stunt their mental self-growth.
Although self-esteem is not, of course, the sole motivation behind bias, numerous studies show that derogatory stereotyping by members of an out-group may enhance self-esteem, and this behavior is particularly likely to occur when self-esteem is threatened. A cousin to assertiveness, which is rooted in Buddhist practices, this approach encourages individuals to increase their self-esteem by viewing difficulties and failures as reasons for being kind toward themselves rather than more critical.
These statements can be especially powerful if you have a tendency to erode your own confidence through negative self-talk. You are your own worst critic, so when you use negative self-talk, eventually, you might start believing it.
Challenge Your Thinking:
If you find yourself jumping to conclusions, or constantly minimizing the positives about yourself, then you need to step up and add a bit of positive thinking into your constant dialog.
One of these changes is taking steps to decrease negative thinking and increase positivity, encouraging thoughts of the kind of person you are and could become. As you start to acknowledge the thoughts and beliefs that are contributing to your low self-esteem, you can confront or alter how you think about them.
Identify Triggers:
To boost your levels of positive thinking in everyday life, you must first acknowledge which people, places, and things are contributing to your negative thoughts. Find the people that make you feel good about yourself, and avoid the ones that tend to provoke negative thinking.
Reminding yourself that others are not as judgmental toward you as you thought they could (or even at all) may help you to feel less anxious and more hopeful about yourself. Being confident about yourself is not always easy, especially if you are naturally self-critical, or other people are constantly putting you down. Having a healthy confidence level can help you succeed in both your personal and professional life. The good news is, there is plenty of control over you when it comes to increasing your self-confidence.
Think about the situations where you feel confident, and a sense of fulfillment and self-worth. Confidence, or belief in yourself, can increase your resiliency, or your ability to bounce back after every challenge or adversity that you encounter in your life. Celebrating even the smallest victories is a good way to boost confidence and begin feeling better about yourself.
Being mindful of the things you have accomplished thus far – even the little things! – will counteract the doubts that come with being insecure, and will help you develop the compassion for yourself that will help you persevere in times of trouble. If you are able to project a positive picture of your authentic self, you are more likely to begin receiving positive feedback, which is so important for self-confidence. When you consistently feel supported, both in platonic and romantic relationships, it becomes easier to root out self-doubt. The more you challenge your thoughts and perspectives, the greater joy you will be able to find in yourself and in your abilities.
If you are not feeling so confident or positive in some aspects of your life, it is time to identify why. I believe that everyone, particularly women, deserves to feel confident, and they can benefit from developing awareness about what it takes to find your inner strength. The bottom line is that improving your self-esteem takes some work, since it involves developing and maintaining healthy emotional habits, but doing it – and doing it well – will yield great emotional and psychological returns on investment.
While some people might have lower self-esteem than is typical, it is something that you can improve, as with any skill. Self-confidence is the understanding that you believe in your judgment and abilities, that you appreciate and feel worth, no matter what imperfections or what others might think about you. By creating a list of your strengths and areas of improvement, you are able to put front-and-center all of the positive qualities you have about yourself, while also identifying areas that you could stand to improve.
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