Self-confidence is an attribute that should come naturally, but for many people, it does not. In fact, the inability to trust your own judgment bears no rewards – only anxiety. There are some normal levels of stress that can feel like anxiety, but those effects tend to dissipate as stress levels decrease. More and more youth today suffer from excessive worrying, which turns into self-doubt. But there are alternatives to counteract low self-esteem. Listed below are FIVE ways that could improve self-confidence:
Love Yourself
Learn to love yourself first and foremost. Loving yourself means not needing validation from anyone else. Accept your imperfections; know that you are uniquely designed and purposely different from everyone else. Become comfortable in your own skin by realizing your worth.
Self-Affirmations
Every day you wake up, before you do anything else, remind yourself of how great you are! Glorify your strengths and challenge your weaknesses with an open, judgment-free mindset. Compliment yourself – acknowledge your beauty. Don’t be afraid of the unknown.
Self-Forgiveness
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to accept our own flaws. It’s easier to forgive someone else for their shortcomings, but to forgive oneself is virtually impossible. Self-forgiveness is about realizing that things happen (good or bad) and we make life decisions; nevertheless, life goes on. Learn from the lessons given and make different choices in the future.
Avoid Pessimism
Learn to look at life as the glass being half full instead of half empty. Be optimistic. Embrace that, bad things are inevitable and will happen because that’s life, and it’s OK. Negativity only begets negativity; therefore, do your best to think and speak positively, even when it feels like your back is against the wall. You possess the power of change; channel positive vibes, people and things into your life.
Focus on What You Can Control
Many young adults lack confidence because they’ve made a habit of worrying about things outside of their control. For example, you cannot control how a dogmatic professor will grade an opinion paper, but you can control how much research and effort you put into writing it. You cannot control the behavior of criminals in your neighborhood, but you can control how prepared you are for break-ins, which drastically increases your confidence. Carefully delineating your personal sphere of influence can help you develop a confident attitude, because you’ll be satisfied with the best you can do, and blissfully dispassionate towards the opinions of others.
Conclusion
No one is perfect. We all suffer from our own personal defects, but that’s what separates one person from another. If we were all alike, the world would lack personality and culture. It would be a very uninteresting place – don’t you think? Adore the skin you’re in. Accept your accomplishments and learn from your defeat. Find confidence in knowing that every single detail about you, was specifically designed with only one person in mind- therefore, you’re perfect just the way you are!
References
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