Secrets for Boosting Self-Confidence
Self-confidence isn’t something that happens overnight. You have to continuously practice it, even on the days when you’re feeling anything but confident. The good news? There are easy steps you can take each day to help boost your self-confidence, and practicing even just a few of the tips below will slowly shift your ego to one that’s confident in itself. By incorporating these tips into your daily routine, you’ll find yourself in a continuous state of self-confidence after a while without having to think twice about it. So go ahead, try some of these ways to improve your self-confidence.
1. Sit Up
One of the easiest ways you can feel more self-confident is to practice better posture. Research published in Health Psychology found that an upright seated posture during times of stress can improve your mood and boost confidence. After looking at 74 people in the study who sat in a chair and completed certain tasks sitting upright versus slumped over, the study authors found that those in the upright position had a higher reported confidence and were less frazzled when doing the tasks.
2. Exercise
Taking care of your body will help it perform to the best of its ability, which in turn can help with your self-confidence. Numerous research has pointed to the positive connection between exercise and self-image, from helping reduce anxiety, boosting confidence, as well as how you respond to stress. Make it a point to move for at least 30 minutes a day doing an activity you enjoy like walking, biking, hiking, or yoga in order to maintain your confidence levels while also boosting your health.
3. Smile
Research published in PLOS One found that smiling can actually make you look younger. When you feel good on the inside (and smile to show it), you look good on the outside, so let that happiness shine on through!
4. Practice Self-Love
Making a point to appreciate yourself will result in increased confidence. A team of Swedish researchers found that athletes who had high self-esteem based on respect and love for themselves had more positive patterns of perfectionism, while athletes who based their self-esteem solely on their performance had a more negative connection to perfectionism. To actively practice self-love, take time each day to focus on what your body can do, not what it can’t. Things like, “My legs are strong enough to handle the stairs up to the office each day,” are more productive then, “I used to be able to run a 5K, now I’m so out of shape.” Make it a point to give praise to more than just the physical side of you too, noting things like how you managed to carry your voice in an important meeting or how you consistently make time to help out others at local charity events.