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It can be challenging to remain confident in yourself and your abilities in today’s fast-paced world. So many factors can affect your self-confidence and self-image, from the opinions of others to media exposure, stress, and your past experiences.
Fortunately, there are many ways to increase your confidence and strengthen your self-image by reaffirming who you are and what you stand for. A strong sense of self is essential for personal growth and successful relationships with friends and romantic partners.
Here are five ways you can do that:
Talk to Yourself Like You Would a Good Friend
Do you ever notice how quick you are to criticize yourself for a mistake you made or something you did not like about yourself? If yes, this may be the reason behind your low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence.
Too often, we allow our inner critic to take over and talk to us in a very cruel way. We say things to ourselves that we would never say to a good friend.
When you start talking to yourself the way you would speak to a good friend, you can build a healthier dialogue with yourself and improve your self-confidence. So, the next time you catch yourself being hard on yourself, stop and try to talk to yourself like you would a friend.
Practice Self-Care
Self-care is about taking care of yourself both physically, mentally and emotionally. It’s about giving yourself the attention and the love you need to stay healthy, regulated and resilient.
You can practice self-care by doing something you enjoy and rejuvenates you, such as taking a bubble bath, walking in nature, reading a book, or listening to music.
One of the main reasons people struggle with low self-esteem and lack self-confidence is that they neglect themselves and their needs. It’s impossible to feel good about yourself when you don’t care for yourself.
If you find yourself saying, “I don’t have time for that! I’m too busy!” then start small. Connect with your breath for one minute twice a day. This simple practice may open up the space and mindset you need to look after yourself more.
Celebrate Your Accomplishments
Accomplishments and successes are essential aspects of your life, and most of us are not very good at slowing down enough to celebrate them.
Through our accomplishments, we define your strengths, talents and skills. But, many people tend to neglect their achievements and focus more on their weaknesses. This tendency leads to low self-esteem and a weaker self-image and guides you into a problem-focused mindset.
You can overcome this by celebrating your achievements and being more aware of the strengths and things you excel at. This will be a significant boost to your self-confidence and self-esteem.
You can try writing down your strengths and accomplishments. Then, keep these in a special place and look at them regularly and remind yourself of the amazing things you have achieved in your life so far.
Set Realistic Goals
Setting goals is a great way to move forward in life and achieve the things you want to achieve. However, many people set unrealistic goals that are way out of their reach. This leads to disappointment and frustration, harming your self-esteem and self-confidence.
When setting goals, make sure to set realistic goals and focus on the required baby steps. This will help you stay present with your choices and if they are moving you closer to your intended outcome or further away. And, by setting realistic goals, you can focus on what you can do instead of what you cannot do. This will help you boost your confidence and self-esteem.
Find the Courage to Change What You Can
There are many aspects of your life that you cannot change, and there are also things that you can change. By finding the courage to change things in your life that you can change, you can positively impact your self-confidence and self-image.
For example, if you believe that your eating habits are holding you back from achieving optimum health, you can seek the help of a nutrition coach to help. Or, if you feel your relationships are not healthy, you can start to be more discerning of who you spend your time with.
This courageous practice will help you take back the steering wheel of your life and boost your self-confidence and self-esteem over time.
Building up your self-confidence and strengthening your self-image can be challenging and take time, but there are little things you can do daily to support that journey. In this blog, I have listed five ways that could help you, and I am sure there are many more that would be more personal to you. The key is to find those things, and if you find it challenging to do on your own, you can work with a coach or counsellor to inject that natural curiosity back into your life.
And to close, let me remind you that you are creative, resourceful and whole, just as you are!
Dave is a Leadership and Life Coach living in Steveston, B.C., Canada.
Dave’s expertise is with individuals and teams who feel stressed out and exhausted and know that they want something different.
In 2017, Dave left a career as a Senior Manager at a large Local Government organization to start Small Pause Coaching & Consulting. His philosophy about taking a pause and inviting in a new conversation, a deeper conversation, has supported hundreds of individuals and organizational clients.
He is a Certified HeartMath® Coach & Mentor, a Certified Trauma-sensitive HeartMath® Practitioner, a trained Equine Guided Learning Facilitator and a Certified Coach with the International Coaches Federation (ICF). Dave took his coaches training at the Newfield Network in Boulder, Colorado.
You can learn more about his work at www.smallpausecoach.com or look him up on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook.
Dave also expresses his creativity through the Small Pause Shop, where he designs apparel that supports living life ‘inside the pause.’