Sometimes it can be difficult to be confident. There are people in the world that make it look so effortless; like they have full faith in their abilities at all times. Although this is how it appears, everyone’s confidence levels increase and decrease depending on life events. So many factors can play into low self-esteem.
Thankfully, confidence is something you can absolutely work on and work towards. Some confidence boosters are easy, straightforward fixes, while others take a little more time to create positive habits. Here are five tips on how to boost your self-confidence.
Dress to impress yourself.
Sometimes in order to generate self-confidence, you have to start from the outside and work your way in. If you feel great about your physical appearance, you’ll start to also feel great on the inside. If you’ve been hiding your body under clothes that don’t really fit, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Your body is beautiful no matter what, and there are ways to dress every body type that are flattering.
Next time you need a boost in confidence, shop ahead. Do you have a big business meeting? Buy yourself a brand new dress skirt and shirt. Get out your favorite pair of power heels and jewelry, and walk into that meeting like you own the place. You’ve prepared as much as you possibly can, so just go in there and do what you know how to do, and look snazzy while doing it.
Give yourself the tools you need in social situations.
Having a medical condition like palmar hyperhidrosis—or hand sweating—can make you nervous about basic gestures, like handshaking or holding hands on a successful first date. If this is something you struggle with, you may want to try antiperspirant for hands.
There are specific products made to keep sweaty hands at bay. Mon Ray Antiperspirant for hands offers a product that uses the highest concentration of aluminum chloride that you can find in the United States, making it more effective than other competitors. Due to the use of isopropyl alcohol, this antiperspirant dries quickly on your hands, so there’s only a very short wait time before you can grab your date’s hand across the dinner table. With a 98 percent success rate, you’re sure to find the confidence to use your hands freely.
Edit your inner monologue.
How do you talk to yourself inside? Are you as kind to yourself as you would be your best friend? Tough love is sometimes what you need to shake yourself out of something, but for the most part, it’s a much better idea to approach your internal monologue with love and understanding. If you’re unable to boost your own confidence, it might be caused by negative thinking patterns. With some work and maintenance, you’ll be able to break that negative cycle. Start with affirmations. In the morning, you should write down something that you are. For example, “I am confident in social situations.” Even if you’re not, by affirming it, your brain will work towards making that statement true. Working with a therapist is also very helpful. A therapist can help you find the source for your negative self-talk, and come up with a plan to fix it.
Push yourself outside of your comfort zone.
No one ever learned by playing it safe. If you push yourself to do more challenging activities, allow yourself to fail, learn from your mistakes, and keep trying, you’ll no longer sweat the small stuff. What’s something within reason that scares you? Whether it’s putting yourself out in the dating pool or raising your hand in class, practice taking what you consider confidence risks. You’ll be more comfortable the more you practice getting out of your comfort zone.
Fake it until you make it.
You can’t necessarily fix all of your confidence problems overnight, so sometimes you need to just fake it until you make it. You can appear confident to other people by rolling your shoulders back and keeping the area around your sternum open and light. This might feel vulnerable. That’s okay. Hang out with the vulnerability as long as you can. You might even find that changing your posture starts to make you feel more confident.
