The world can feel like a stressful place and make our self-confidence falter. That’s even truer for people who are naturally shy or just get nervous being around tons of people.
However, it’s easier than you might think to be a more self-confident person just by bringing some daily practices into your routine. Keep reading to learn how to get started.
Look At Your Beauty, Not Your Faults
For many of us, a mirror offers a reflection of all our shortcomings, rather than all the things that make us beautiful. At the start and end of every day, look in the mirror and gently coax yourself to see all your highlights rather than the things that you wish you could improve.
Instead of honing in on the dark circles under your eyes or the pimple that appeared on your chin overnight, give yourself a big grin and spend a minute or two appreciating all the characteristics that make you unique and beautiful.
Become More Aware
Many of us spend too much time wondering what others think of us rather than just focusing on the present moment. Having those sorts of preoccupations can really make your self-confidence take a blow.
The next time you find yourself lapsing into them, bring yourself back by concentrating on your breathing, or just some pleasant things about your environment. Practicing mindfulness in that way can also be a great excuse to show self-kindness, instead of being consumed by the expectations and demands life places on us.
Be Honest About What You Can Handle
People are often terrified of saying “no” to requests. On the one hand, being available and eager to assist with things shows commitment; however, it can also cause people to become overwhelmed because their schedules are so packed they don’t have any time left for themselves.
If you’re asked to do something you realistically can’t handle, say so, and give an honest reason why you have to turn it down. Your reasoning may be as simple as realizing that to take on yet another task would mean you’re not able to perform at your best.
The first few times you tell someone you can’t do something will probably be extremely nerve-wracking. However, over time, you should see that people are more likely to be understanding and accepting of your limitations rather than pushing you hard and making you feel horrible about not being able to commit to something.
Demand Respect
Self-confidence can reach an all-time low thanks to people in our lives that make us feel badly about ourselves. Coming back to full strength after periods like that can be extremely difficult, and often impossible to do without the support of others. However, there’s a personal aspect to making improvements moving forward, too.
Obviously, there’s no use in harboring regrets about the past, but if you think about the events that led up to your lack of self-confidence during a certain time in life, chances are that many of them happened because you didn’t demand respect from others, or yourself.
Know your worth and don’t let anyone try to bring you down through a lack of respect. Self-confidence is often tied into assertiveness. That doesn’t mean jumping down people’s throats if they don’t automatically treat you in the way you deserve, but it does involve speaking up if someone repeatedly doesn’t respect you, even if that person is yourself.
Now that you’ve learned several simple ways to improve your self-confidence daily, commit to practicing at least some of them for at least a month and see if you notice beneficial changes in your life. As with almost any good thing in life, self-confidence takes time to develop or restore, but the payoff for your efforts is usually substantial.
