Nowadays, more people than ever are asking how to be more confident. Low self-esteem is common among teenagers, owing to their efforts to be like others.
Through functional behavior assessment, it has been found that people often disrupt their natural behavior and attitude just because they are full of self-doubt and dependent on assurances from others. This results in low confidence and poor growth, limiting one’s ability to seize new opportunities. Once lost, it is difficult to regain confidence.
But there are certain practices and methods that you can follow to get your confidence back and remove negative thoughts.
So, how to feel confident? I’ll be sharing 12 valuable psychological tips to help you boost your self-esteem and achieve more.
How to Become More Confident? [12 Effective Tips]
A person’s confidence can be influenced by a variety of factors, including low self-esteem due to their appearance, poor social interaction skills, a lack of social status, or anything else that causes them to overthink.
Here are 12 common solutions to help you battle your inner demons and gain confidence.
Self Love
The important element that you should work on to attain high self-confidence is practicing the art of self-love, which builds positive regard. Practicing self-love can include grooming yourself, taking pride in small tasks, setting healthy boundaries, being less harsh on yourself, and being honest with yourself.
Being patient, gentle, and kind to yourself will help you embrace yourself, and appreciating your efforts will make you feel special.
Self-love can be practiced by:
- Complimenting yourself.
- Celebrating small successes.
- Stopping yourself from being too harsh on yourself.
- Taking a break from a hectic lifestyle.
Build Strong Communication Skills
The most important tip that reflects your confidence is your strong communication skills. The way you speak says a lot about you, and it is the first thing that establishes a strong identity for you. So, try to develop assertive communication skills that can help you stand out.
A person with strong communication skills can express themselves freely and gain respect. It can also help people make themselves sound less aggressive, allowing them to cultivate healthy relationships.
You can build strong communication skills by:
- Listening more often to people.
- Working on your tone.
- Taking feedback from peers.
- Being precise and meaningful with words.
Positive Body Language
When you go out in public, your body language and posture are the first things people notice. Having a good physique and an attractive body does not necessarily imply positive body language. Maintaining eye contact while speaking, walking gracefully, smiling, unfolding your arms, and shaking hands firmly are a few ways to make a strong impression on others.
All of these things project strong and confident body language, which will make you an attractive person.
A well-defined positive body language means:
- Eye contact while talking.
- Nodding or smiling while communicating.
- Upright posture.
Working Out
Exercising plays a vital role in boosting confidence, you can attain better shape, stay healthy, and elevate your mood. Being in good physical shape boosts your confidence and makes you feel good about yourself. It also reduces anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal, making you more positive.
- Physical activity seems challenging at first, but once completed, it creates a sense of accomplishment.
- It also gives you energy and the urge to push yourself further, which gives you confidence that you can accomplish challenging objectives.
This is how working out can contribute towards positive development physically as well as mentally.
Identify Your Purpose
It is important to define your purpose in life, without it, you are just a ship lost in the sea. Setting goals and purpose will provide you with the motivation you need to achieve greatness. Do things that you crave and are truly passionate about. This allows you to wake up every morning with the feeling that life truly means something to you.
You can spark motivation by having a purpose which can be identified by:
- Creating a mind map.
- Exploring your interest.
- Creating a journal.
- Reflecting on your talents.
Set Realistic Goals
Being passionate and setting goals isn’t enough. You have to be realistic and honest with yourself throughout the journey. Start by setting a small goal and achieve them over time, this will keep you motivated. If things are not going as planned, think about changing your strategy and starting over.
Sticking to what is not working will waste your time and ultimately fill you with self-doubt, which will hamper your confidence.
You can practice goal setting by:
- Preparing day-to-day routine.
- Tracking your progress.
- Avoiding procrastination.
Try to be Productive
Don’t let your precious day go in vain, you can learn new free skills or prioritize healthy habits. This way, you won’t mindlessly scroll through social media and waste your time. By the end of the day, you will be pleased that you have learned something new, which will boost your confidence.
Being productive means:
- Learn new skills.
- Make small progress day-by-day in a task.
- Dedicate your time to improve your thinking skills.
Get Rid of People Who Disrespect You
Throughout your life, you will meet a lot of insecure people who will try to harm your reputation and put you in self-doubt. They will constantly try to bring you down in front of others by cracking disrespectful jokes or trying to point out your flaws. The best thing to do is avoid their company; they will only undermine your confidence.
Identify such people by:
- Noticing whether they say anything negative about others.
- Trying constantly to defend yourself in front of them.
- They will pass judgment on others.
Positive Self Talk
You become what you feed, so always replace “can’t” with “can”. By implementing this tip, your brain generates self-assurance, resulting in a positive self-image. This allows you to push forward during difficult times, making you mentally tougher.
Practice it by initially thinking good about yourself, and recalling all the past achievements. Start using positive affirmation words while completing your task; no matter how difficult it is, do not use words like cannot, will fail, do not know anything, and so on.
These tips will help you to develop a habit of positive self-talking.
- Surround yourself with positive minds.
- Giving yourself a positive affirmation.
- Stop reliving your worst experience.
Remove Any Sort of Wrong Addiction
Addictions such as smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, watching pornography, and playing excessive video games produce a lot of dopamine, which is a pleasure hormone.
Such actions produce large amounts of dopamine, which corrupts your dopamine receptors and forces you to rely on short-term pleasure. You won’t feel the urge to face challenges and get out of your comfort zone, which will gradually undermine your confidence.
Addictions like:
- Alcohol
- Gambling
- Porn
- Endlessly scrolling social media
- Drugs
All these things should be quit immediately as it hampers the confidence of an individual.
Stop Comparing
The golden rule you should always follow is to refrain from comparing. Everyone is different, and not everyone goes through the same chapter. Life may appear to some to be a rainbow, while to others it may be a storm. So there is no point in comparing your life with others, keep it with you and be happy with what has been given.
People who are weak or insecure often compare themselves with others, so you should have a positive self-image.
You can develop a positive body image for yourself by:
- Accepting your flaws.
- Focusing on your strengths.
- Understanding you are unique.
Friendly Nature
Before choosing your circle and cutting off from negative people, make sure there is nothing wrong with your character. Have a friendly nature, don’t be unnecessarily rude to people, and be approachable. This allows you to meet different people, broaden your perspective, and boost your confidence.
These useful tips will greatly assist you in developing interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence, which will also help you advance in your career. Not only that, but it also shapes your personality, helping you stand out from the crowd.
After thoroughly discussing all the ways to boost your confidence, it is also important to understand the subjective nature of confidence.
Friendly nature is determined by:
- Having a smiley face.
- Making others comfortable.
- Easy to talk.
- Warm greetings and being helpful.
Understanding the Psychology Behind Being Confident
The term confidence is subjective, what makes a person feel confident in society differs and depends on what works for him. Some people find that wearing beautiful or fancy clothes makes them feel better, while others find that having a strong financial backup boosts their confidence.
Personally, in my experience and observation of social behavior in people, I have noticed quite a few common elements that define the term confidence. Being rich, having strong social recognition, and having good looks are pinnacle ways that people feel confident about themselves.
But these are external factors, which means they are beyond our control; you can work hard to become wealthy, but there is no guarantee. The real confidence comes from inside, which is more lasting and shapes your personality. Being confident is all about having a positive self-image and being comfortable in your own body.
But the problem is many people ignore the root cause for developing low confidence, so let’s move further and understand why it develops in the first place.
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Why Does Low Self-Confidence Develop?
There are several reasons why you constantly suffer from low self-esteem, and you should avoid them to progress towards the path of building self-confidence.
- Negative Self-Talk: You should be extremely careful of what you are feeding to your brain. Negative self-talk is the biggest reason that people get filled with self-doubt and lose their confidence.
- Trying to Impersonate Others: The common thing people do when they hate their natural behavior is to impersonate others. It could be anyone the person you admire, a celebrity, or an influencer. But to develop long-term self-confidence, you must be yourself, accept who you are, and work on your flaws.
- Staying in a Comfort Zone: Being in a comfort zone means a situation where a person feels safe and runs away from trying to make an effort. This completely corrupts the ability to move forward, limiting growth and, ultimately, hampering confidence.
- Lack of Organization in Life: Many people struggle to determine what to control and what to avoid. This frequently results in a lack of organization, which causes the individual to doubt himself because life appears to be out of control, making them feel reluctant.
You may understand the concept of self-confidence and how to feel confident, but chances are you will develop self-doubt if you continue to do certain things. Thus, it is critical to understand the reasons for your low confidence.
Final Words
People nowadays, particularly teenagers, are constantly at odds with themselves and are easily influenced by others’ judgments and behavior, resulting in low self-esteem.
You would meet a lot of people who would try to bring you down and put you in self-doubt, the best course of action is to avoid the company of such people. Strong self-esteem can work wonders in your life, opening up new opportunities and potentially assisting you in pursuing your dream career.
Hopefully, now you understand how to be confident in yourself. So, just keep your confidence up and do not let anyone doubt you.
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FAQs
Ans: You should try whatever works best for you. However, do not blindly follow any instructions or tips without considering the cause and effect.
Ans: Start by talking to people around you in school, college, or the workplace. The topic could be anything related to your work, movies, sports, etc., and then you can gradually expand your circle and share your ideas and perspectives.
Ans: Take it as a part of your character development. When a third party points it out, a person is more likely to work on himself. So don’t take it as the world has ended for you and begin a new chapter.
Ans: Working out three or four times per week will keep you in shape, and studies show that exercise releases endorphins, which improve your mood. It is not necessary to join a gym; running, brisk walking, and exercising in parks can also help in the early stages.
Sources:
How to Gain Confidence – Calm