11 Ways To Improve Your Self Confidence
Self confidence is something that comes and goes with me. I'll go a few weeks feeling great about my body, my work and myself and then one morning wake up and I feel like I've gained 10 kilo's (I never have), that my entire career so far is a massive failure (it never is) and that I'm a total loser (I never am). Days like that suck, and it's so easy to get let yourself be pulled into a downward spiral of self doubt and mean self talk. I'm no expert, but these are a few things that I've found have helped me on days where I'm feeling a bit worse for wear:
Be Kind To Yourself: Don't stand in front of a mirror and bitch about yourself. You wouldn't talk like that to your best friend, why would you talk like that to yourself?
Eat Good Food: I'd say I eat pretty well, partly because I have to due to my health issues, but if I'm having one of those "I Feel Really Fat Today" days, I'll make sure that I eat really clean and healthy. Will it make my body change dramatically over night? No, but it will shift my mindset into a positive, happy and healthy one.
Get Some Fresh Air: As I mentioned in my post about why I love the sea, if I'm feeling stressed out, I love to head out the door and walk along the coast. If you live in a city or far away from the sea, just head out anywhere. I definitely recommend getting close to nature if you can, so if you're in a city find a park and just walk around. And don't let rain stop you! Throw on that rain coat and your wellies and take yourself out. I've been on plenty of wet, rainy walks and they're really quite fun. Getting your self out of your house and into some fresh air will be a great change in environment, and should help to shift your train of thought as well!
Hit the Gym: One thing that's guaranteed to help my mood is a gym session. Particularly if I'm having a day where my body image is low, 45 minutes to an hour in the gym is all it takes to make me feel more positive again.
Talk to Someone: So much positivity can come from just talking about how you're feeling. Sometimes it's hard and we feel like we might be annoying or complain too much, but trust me, the people who love you don't care, and if you're feeling sad, you should just talk about it! Getting stuff off your shoulders does the world of good, and you never know, they might just have some advice or a different take on things that you'd never considered before.
Meditation: This is something I really want to do more of, but on days where I've been particularly stressed, I've switched on the app "Calm" or "Headspace" and spent 10-20 minutes totally zoned out from the world, and from myself. It does wonders for my stress levels and I know I should do it more, so here I am giving myself some advice!
Throw on an outfit that you love: I don't know about you, but if I wear something that I really like, my confidence levels shoot right up.
Put On Some Make Up: If you're really having a down day, there's absolutely no shame in putting some make up on. Similar to the feeling you get if you put a good outfit on, getting a bit glammed up with some make up is just as good a confidence booster!
Pamper yourself: Sometimes we just need to take some time out and give ourselves some TLC. On the weekends I really love to soak in a bath with a magazine or book for a while, spend longer doing face masks and really letting myself relax. I'll do my nails (never very well though, I should add!) and indulge myself.
Fake Tan: Never, ever underestimate the power of a good fake tan. There's just something about having an extra bit of glow that renders everything 100% better. Suddenly my body feels amazing, I'm all ready to hit the beach and most importantly, my confidence has gone way up. I adore St Tropez 3 Hour Tan, and tend to use it once or twice a week for 3h and then wash it off. It's honestly one of my favourite products, ever.
Sleep If Off: Some days, you just really need to hit refresh. Getting to bed early and getting a good nights sleep does wonders! There have been so many times in my life where I've been worrying myself about something for an entire day, and then when I wake up the next day, I've got a totally new perspective on things, and it doesn't seem quite so bad anymore.
Do you have any other tips for improving self confidence? What do you do to boost yours if you're having a low day? Let me know in the comments bellow or tweet me @oliviabossert.
