4 tips to boost your confidence

Self-confidence not only affects how you feel about yourself day-to-day, but also impacts your work life and relationships with others. Whether your confidence is at an all-time-low due to comparing yourself to others, a relationship breakup, being passed over for a promotion or job, or feeling isolated from others in an increasingly virtual world, there are steps you can take to boost your confidence. 

Today's post goes over 4 of these tips. I encourage you to think about what has got you feeling low about yourself lately, and try to customize at least one of these tips to work for your situation.

Photo by sydney rae on Unsplash

set small goals

If you've fallen short of a previous goal or been passed over for an external goal (like a job or a promotion), sit down with a sheet of paper and think about how you approached that goal. One of the keys to goal setting is to set SMART goals - specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-oriented. To set SMART goals, break down a large idea into specific steps, like something you can check-off on a list.

smile at yourself

Smiling can make you feel better and can make others want to be around you more because they perceive you as a pleasant person. If you're uncomfortable with your smile, consider setting a goal to reach out to a cosmetic dentist to find out the process of improving your smile. Once you know what's involved, you can set financial or time goals so that you can meet that new goal.

move your body

Physical activity and exercise are often touted as a way to improve your confidence, but if you feel like moving your body is WORK or a chore, it becomes another thing you 'must' do, rather than something you want to do. The benefits to regular exercise outside of weight loss are many and you might find that you move more when you do it because you WANT to, not because you feel like you should. Sometimes your workout is the only time of day you have time for yourself. Or maybe you find breaking a sweat the key to reducing your stress.

Explore different ways to incorporate more movement into your day until you find a way to exercise that brings you joy. If you enjoy spending time outside, set a goal to go for a walk once a day or several times a week. If you're bored of your current fitness routine, look up dance, cycle, or kickboxing classes in your area to try something new. 

spend time with people that make you happy

When you made that list at the beginning of this post about what is contributing to your low self-confidence, if one of those items was a friend or family member who is constantly tearing you down, I encourage you to take steps to move away from that relationship. While you cannot control how others treat you, you can set healthy boundaries and refuse to spend time with people who don't make you feel good about yourself. Toxic friends who treat your relationship as a competition have no place in your future life. 

Setting boundaries and communicating with toxic people can be difficult. Consider exploring articles online that provide tips on how to navigate the situation. It may be a good idea to speak with a therapist about your self-confidence and goals to make a plan to address external factors.

On the positive side, think about who in your life makes you happy, and endeavor to spend more time with them.