This year I am working on putting myself out there more when it comes to blogging and on the social media channels. I think one of the reasons I haven’t done this much to date is all to do with self-confidence. Actually, it’s a lack of self-confidence that has stopped me in the past. Obviously, you don’t just wake up one day and decide ‘oh, I’m totally fine with myself now’ and have a massive change. There are steps you can take and things you can do to boost your self-confidence.
Fake it ’till you make it
Everyone has to start somewhere and pushing yourself to do something outside of your comfort zone can be a huge help. At the end of 2017 I did something I thought I would never do; I started a Youtube channel. I hated speaking on camera though and I hated seeing and hearing myself while I edited videos. The whole thing really just made me uncomfortable. I kept filming and making those videos and I made sure it looked like I knew what I was doing. Now, I am so much more relaxed in front of the camera and my self-confidence had a boost after seeing that people actually watched what I’d filmed!
Take care of your appearance
Taking care of your appearance can mean a whole range of things, depending on what you might be struggling with.
I see so many posts saying you should embrace being make-up free, not care if your hair isn’t done or don’t be afraid to show social media that you’re having a PJ day. You will see me on Instagram stories without make-up on or with my hair soaking wet from just washing it. However, these things don’t make me feel great and in turn, I don’t feel confident. Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong in feeling like putting make-up on if you want to. On a day when I do wear make-up I feel ready to take on the world and just a bit more relaxed about everything.
A few years ago I absolutely hated to smile. I had dental issues that I’d put off getting fixed for a really long time and because of that, I wouldn’t smile in pictures. I was also once a 20 a day smoker and I was for just over 15 years. Although these dental issues have been fixed now, my teeth are quite discoloured and it does stop me from smiling on camera maybe quite as much as I would do otherwise. If I could see a teeth whitening specialist and get mine sorted then I know my self-confidence would be a lot better than it is now.
Dress for how you want to feel
While it really is what’s on the inside that counts I find that I have much less self-confidence when I dress in clothes that I wear around the house for comfort. In fact, if I went out in leggings, a baggy t-shirt and old trainers, I would be really self-conscious everywhere I went. In order to improve your self-confidence I think it’s important to dress in a way that makes you feel amazing. If it’s leggings and trainers then fantastic then great, carry on wearing these. For me, I feel like a completely different person in a knee length dress and tights.
Positive thinking
I know just how easy it can be to pay more attention to the negative aspects of life and these can really get you down. Where self-confidence is concerned, if you concentrate on the negatives then they can really get you down. Focusing on the positives in your life, and about yourself, can really give you a self-confidence boost and it will do wonders for the way you see yourself and what’s going on around you.
Acknowledge how great you are
If you’re already struggling then I know this is sometimes easily said than done. This ties in with trying to ignore any negatives in your life because once you realise how many great things there are about yourself, you can then show that to everyone else. I know it’s hard to give yourself praise but a good way to start would be to write down 1 thing every day that you did well or that you was proud of yourself for. At the end of the week, or the end of the month, look back at all of those positives and work that into the next month!
There is no quick fix when it comes to having more self-confidence. I am working on this myself this year and even 1 or 2 small changes in your life can really make such a difference. Are there any tips you have if you want to boost your self-confidence?
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AD – This is a collaborative post. All opinions are our own.