Whether you’re having a bad week, a bad day, or just haven’t been feeling yourself lately, it’s normal for your confidence to ebb and flow with your mood, level of happiness, or even your time of the month.
The issue though is when your confidence becomes the root of other problems in your life, causing you to do or not do things you normally would and making you miserable, anti-social and not really wanting to do anything but sit on the couch.
If this sounds like you, start today and boost your confidence with these 5 tips:
Find a motivating friend
Sometimes we can’t do it all by ourselves -and that’s totally okay! It’s times like these when you need a good (tough loving) friend to kick your butt into gear and make you do what you know you should do, but just can’t find the motivation to make happen. This may be something like getting you out to the gym, or something as simple as making you go out to dinner with your group of friends that you always used to hang out with, but never really bother to see any more. And when the time comes, if your friend is harsher or firmer than usual, don’t take it to heart – she’s just doing her job and you’ll thank her later!
Surround yourself with people who bring you up and get rid of toxic relationships
There’s nothing that blows your confidence more than being around people who make you feel bad about yourself. Whether this is people who outright say mean, or inconsiderate things to you, or people who just brag about themselves the whole time and make you feel inadequate, these types of people have got to go. Take a look at your relationships and be honest with yourself – you may be brushing off what they’re saying as something else but if you think about it and realize they are genuinely bringing you down, (whether intentional or not), you owe it to yourself to move on. You’ll be better for it in the long run!
Look at yourself in the mirror
Often when we’re feeling down, we avoid the mirror, trying not to look at it when we’re in the bathroom, and getting dressed away from it after the shower. Instead, stare into the mirror and find a confidence boosting mantra which you can repeat to yourself over and over again. Maybe it is something like “I am strong,” or “I am beautiful because I am me.” Whatever it is, repeat it several times as you look at yourself, and do it regularly. As you become more confident, do it when you get out of the shower before you get dressed, and pretty soon you’ll be staring yourself down in the mirror and yelling how beautiful you are. Because you totally are!
Go out and exercise
It may seem like the last thing you want to do, but the endorphin releasing, energy boosting stimulation of exercise, will leave you feeling like a million bucks. There’s nothing like a hard, sweaty workout session to lift your spirits and show you what you’re capable of, boosting your confidence and your self perception.
Stop eating crap
How you feel physically is directly related to how you feel confidence wise, and at the root of this is the food you are putting into your body. If you find you’ve been feeling a little down in the dumps lately, take a look at your diet. Even if it’s foods that you have always eaten, it doesn’t mean that they may not be causing you to feel a bit off. Focus on fresh, raw foods in their natural state and minimally processed. You can also look at some mood boosting foods such as dark chocolate and coconut. When possible, make your own food at home instead of eating out, and try to cut back on your coffee if you are having more than 1 or 2 cups a day.
By: Laura Peill – (Check out her blog Chronicles of Passion & Facebook)
