Your confidence level is closely tied to your self-esteem. Here are 4 ways to improve it.
Confidence levels can fluctuate on a daily basis. While some days we may be feeling confident and successful, others are different. Confidence levels also vary from person to person, with some people coming to it more naturally than others. It’s all tied to our self-esteem.
Our self-concept depends largely on how we were raised and our personalities. Common behaviors like people pleasing, feeling needy and engaging in negative self-talk are all reflections of it.
PsychCentral spoke with several experts on common insecure behaviors and how to cope with them. Here are 4 tips that can help you become more confident:
Keep track of insecure behaviors
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It’s difficult to know if you’re insecure or are struggling with low self-esteem if you don’t keep track of these behaviors and notice how often they appear. While it’s difficult to simply try to find the root of your lack of confidence, it helps if you keep track of the most common behaviors you engage with and their triggers.
“It’s important to explore cognitions and the messages learned that initially created the negative core beliefs,” said Dr. Jan Roberts. “Understanding how low self-esteem evolves as a result of past internalized messages and cognitive processing can help [people] create new ways of perceiving their world around them.”
Set small goals
Setting small goals, like completing chores on your to-do list or pursuing personal hobbies, can help you feel more confident and like you’re achieving stuff. Keep track of these accomplishments and notice how you’ll start to feel more capable the more you keep up with the habit.
Small habits like voicing or finding something you like about yourself every day can also add up in the long term,
See a therapist
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A therapist can help you find the root of your self-confidence issues, especially if you have a problem that’s debilitating or that affects other areas of your life. The right therapist can help you develop coping mechanisms for these behaviors, helping you form new ways of thinking that will help you grow into a more confident person.
Be kind to yourself
Try your best to avoid negative self-talk. While it’s difficult to control your inner dialogue, try your best not to verbalize it. Confidence issues tend to manifest in self-depricating jokes and having difficulty accepting compliments from others; if you try to minimize these behaviors, your inner dialogue will likely change and turn into something more positive and ultimately objective.
