“People may flatter themselves just as much by thinking that their faults are always present to other people’s minds, as if they believe that the world is always contemplating their individual charms and virtues.” – Elizabeth Gaskell
If you’re like most people, your self-esteem and confidence go up and down from day to day. You may have good days where you feel on top of the world, and bad days where you feel like you can’t do anything right. If your self-esteem and confidence are low more often than not, it can be tough to get through life.
But don’t worry – there are ways to boost your self-esteem and confidence. In this post, I’ll outline a master plan that will help you feel better about yourself in no time.
Keep reading for more information.
According to research, self-esteem directly influences your social behavior and health. In fact, low self-esteem is associated with social problems and mental disorders.
These include both ‘internalizing problems’ such as depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies and eating disorders and ‘externalizing problems’ such as substance abuse and violence (Mann et al., 2004).
What is self-esteem?
Essentially, self esteem refers to all of your knowledge and beliefs about your personal qualities and attributes.
Self-esteem is considered the same as self-worth, self-imagine and self-regard.
According to research, a positive self esteem will promote healthy functioning in all areas of your life leading to greater success, satisfaction, coping and achievement (Mann et al., 2004).
"Why should we worry about what others think of us, do we have more confidence in their opinions than we do our own?" - Brigham Young
Tips to overcome low self esteem
Low self esteem will cause you to always second guess yourself. Usually, your level of self confidence will wary when it relates to different aspects or your life.
However, low self-esteem usually stems from an underlying reason. And it’s important to identify that reasons so that we can fully address this toxic habit.
In fact, low self-esteem could stem from something as simple as a comment that someone has said to you that causes you to excessively judge yourself.
But, to reach your maximum potential, it’s imperative that you overcome low self-esteem. Here are some of my best tips:
- Identify all your good qualities
- Journal your accomplishments
- Remind yourself of your worth
- Find inspiration in your struggles
- Remember than no one is perfect
- Get help from a friend
- Acknowledge and work on your short-comings
- Focus on your strengths
- Be objective
- Learn to love your body
- Ask for help
- Find a partner
- Change your perspective
- Stop reading into everything
- Go easy on yourself
- Learn to say no
- Don’t dwell on the past
- Realize that confidence is attractive
- Give yourself some time
- Be proud of who you are
- It’s okay to be afraid
- Avoid constant comparison and approval seeking
- Realize insecurities are okay
Identify all your good qualities to boost your self-esteem
Firstly, to overcome low self confidence, it’s important to take inventory of all your good qualities.
This will make you feel better about yourself, and it will definitely help build your self-esteem.
Your good qualities could be anything from the way you dress, to how quick minded you are. Identifying these things will help motivate you to get through this difficult time.
Keep a journal of your accomplishments to increase your confidence
Journaling is a great way to keep account of all you’ve achieved. Make a list of your goal(s) and how far away you are from achieving them.
This way you can see exactly how far you have come.
Read also: Thinking about goals and resolutions for 2022? Read this!
Remind yourself of your worth to boost your self-esteem
The reality is that everyone has a special something to offer the world. It’s important that you fully embrace this and never take it for granted.
Undoubtedly, there will be many times when you will feel like giving up. But remember, at the end of the day, you matter.
"Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one." - Eleanor Roosevelt
Find inspiration in your struggles to increase your confidence
It takes a lot of work and dedication to follow this advice and find inspiration in your struggles.
But, there will also be many times when you will feel like giving up.
This is when you must remind yourself of what your goals and dreams are and how you plan on achieving them.
It might not happen overnight, but it will happen if you make a promise to yourself that you keep.
Remind yourself that no one is perfect to increase your self-esteem
Everyone has flaws. I’m sure you’ve heard this time and time again. But it’s so true. We just need to learn how to accept and deal with them.
This is important because it will remind you that the same goes for everyone around you.
They might seem perfect on a superficial level, but at the end of the day they have their own insecurities and flaws too.
Get help from a friend to increase your confidence
Getting help from a friend can be helpful especially if you are really struggling with low self-esteem.
You need to make sure the person you choose is someone whom you can trust, and ideally someone who has been through something similar.
Acknowledge and actively work on your short-comings to boost your self-esteem
This is a significant reason why people are insecure. They don’t recognize their role in the matter, and they blame everyone around them for setting them up to fail.
And while this is easier said than done, you have to understand that this toxic behavior stems from a place of self-victimization.
You will never be able to feel confident if you believe that this world is a place where the odds are stacked against you.
Read also: 4 Powerful steps to finally overcome self-blame
Focus on your strengths to increase your confidence
Focusing on your strengths may seem counterintuitive because we have been taught our entire lives to focus on our weaknesses.
But here’s the thing, only focusing on your weaknesses will never give us the positive results we desire.
The right way to go about this is by focusing on all your good qualities, and working hard to make them even better.
Identifying what you excel at will help motivate you to get through this difficult time.
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Be objective to boost your self-esteem
Then, be very objective. A lot of these ‘short-comings’ may just be in your own mind.
Every single person has insecurities, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that you aren’t talented or beautiful.
The truth is that we all lack confidence in some or several aspects of your lives, but it might just be a matter of perspective.
Sometimes what you perceive as short-comings could actually turn out to be your greatest strength.
So don’t be so quick to condemn yourself, because you aren’t as terrible as you think!
Learn to love your body to increase your confidence
This is where it all starts. If you want to learn how to improve your self-esteem, then it all starts with loving your body for what it is.
Everyone has their own flaws, and it is completely normal to have them. But if your goal is to become more confident, then you actually need to embrace yours and love the person looking back at you in the mirror!
Get help to boost your confidence
It’s important to remember that you are not alone in this. There are so many people out there who have low self-esteem.
Unfortunately, low self-esteem can affect your mental health, motivation, interpersonal relationships and encourage the initiation of toxic habits as a coping mechanism.
Let someone close to you know what you are going through, because having a friend by your side will make all the difference.
Find a partner to increase your self-esteem
This one might seem like an odd solution, but it actually works really well. If you can find someone who not only understands your lack of confidence and loves and respects you regardless; then you can finally say goodbye to all those negative feelings.
Sometimes we need that little bit of the outside perspective to help us see the things we miss.
Change your perspective to boost your confidence
Remember, there is always more than one point of view. If you were able to look at this situation objectively, you would realize that the only person suffering here is yourself.
You are allowing your low self-esteem to take over your life, and it has to stop.
"Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it." - M. Scott Peck
Stop reading into everything to increase your self-confidence
Reading too much into things can become a really bad habit. Actually, it can also be extremely exhausting.
So whenever you are about to do it, think about the consequences that could arise from your actions. Not everything is as negative or positive as we might believe.
Go easy on yourself to boost your self-esteem
It is so important that you stop beating yourself up over nothing. No one is perfect, and you don’t have to be either.
If you keep putting pressure on yourself, then you may just find yourself becoming someone you don’t recognize anymore.
Learn to say no to increase your confidence
One of the most difficult things about lacking confidence is feeling the need to please others. You might feel like you have to say yes to absolutely everything, which can be extremely exhausting.
So unless it’s something really important, try your hardest to learn how to refuse and stand up for yourself.
Don’t dwell on the past to boost your self-esteem
Everyone has made mistakes in their lives, but dwelling on them is never a good idea. So try to take what you learned from these instances and put it towards strengthening your future.
Realize that confidence is attractive
Confidence is really the best thing you can have when you are looking to attract someone. Be intentional and remember that confidence is extremely attractive and powerful.
Give yourself some time to boost your self-esteem
Sometimes we just need a little bit of time to be fully ready. In fact, if you lack self-confidence and approach tasks prematurely, it can be even more detrimental to your self-esteem.
And, the same applies to your relationships. So, give yourself adequate time to introspect and work on your insecurities.
"Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." - Lucille Ball
Be proud of who you are to increase your confidence
Remember that no one in this world is exactly like you. You are unique, and that is something worth celebrating.
So don’t waste another moment worrying about what the others might be thinking, instead start focusing on how confident you can become by just being yourself.
Sometimes, unfortunately we may be overanalyzing, misinterpreting and nurturing the opinions of others.
Realize it’s okay to be afraid to improve your self-esteem
Even the most confident people in the world get scared or nervous about certain things. So if it’s normal to feel this way, then don’t worry about it.
There is nothing wrong with being scared; the only thing you should be worried about is not living your life to its fullest potential because of fear.
As simple as it sounds, really knowing that we’re often are own biggest critics will be very impactful.
Once you can understand that, then it is very easy for you to embrace the lighter aspects of life. You will stop taking everything so seriously and end up seeing things in a whole new light. Perfection isn’t realistic.
Avoid constant comparisons and needing constant approval
Stop worrying about who is better than you or which of your friends have the qualities that you long for.
It’s important to trust in yourself and your abilities and take the time to find out what you truly want out of life without letting the opinions of others hold you back.
Realize it’s okay to have insecurities to increase your self-esteem
Do not be hard on yourself for feeling insecure because this is completely normal. The only thing that matters is how you handle them.
Use your life experiences as a way of building up your own self-confidence by learning from the mistakes you make and never giving up on yourself.
It is important to remember that confidence does not mean the absence of all feelings of low self esteem.
Not only should you no ignore your insecurities, but it is also okay to acknowledge them because they are what make you human.
In fact, it’s only after realization, that you can learn to move past them.
We need to accept and embrace ourselves as we are, but continually work on self-development.
"If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person." - Fred Rogers
Final words on boosting low self-esteem/confidence
If you’re ready to take the next step to boost your low self-esteem and feel better about yourself, this list of proven strategies that will help.
In fact, these tips are designed to build your confidence so that you can live a happier and more productive life.
If you found this article helpful, let me know in the comments below. Can you think of other ways to combat low self-worth or lack of confidence.
Can insecurity be cured?
Insecurity is a feeling that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. However, for some, it’s a fleeting moment, while for others it can be a more chronic issue.
No matter how long you’ve felt insecure, or what led to those feelings, there are steps you can take to work through them.
In this post, I’ll explore what insecurity is, and discuss some ways to address it.
If you’re struggling with insecurity, read on for inspiration and guidance. You don’t have to face these feelings alone. Read more
How can I overcome negative emotions?
Are you struggling with negative emotions? Do you feel like you’re stuck in a cycle of sadness, anger, or anxiety? If so, you’re not alone. Millions of people deal with these emotions on a daily basis.
But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. It can be tough to break free from negative emotions and start feeling better. But it’s definitely possible.
In this blog post, I’ll discuss some tips for overcoming negative emotions. If you’re ready to start feeling better, keep reading. Read more
References
Michal (Michelle) Mann, Clemens M. H. Hosman, Herman P. Schaalma, Nanne K. de Vries, Self-esteem in a broad-spectrum approach for mental health promotion, Health Education Research, Volume 19, Issue 4, August 2004, Pages 357–372,
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