8 Ways To Boost Your Confidence

This post was developed via a partnership with BetterHelp.

Your confidence can be the basis of so many aspects of your life. It can be what pushes you to try new things, it can be what places you in a position of leadership, and it can help you overcome difficult times. In that sense, your confidence is everything, and fostering your own confidence can make enormous differences in your life.

Here are some ways to get the confidence boost you’re craving.

1. Fake It Til You Make It

First, remember that you don’t have to be confident in order to achieve everything you want and more. No one feels completely confident all the time. But if you tell yourself that you feel fine, and you walk into scary situations with all the strength and positivity of a confident soul, then you may find that after a little while, the confidence becomes real.

2. Set And Achieve Small Goals

Maybe you feel lost when it comes to major goals and aspirations in your life. This can be frustrating, especially because confidence often comes from setting and achieving goals.

If you’re caught in that situation, try setting small goals that you can achieve quickly. Here are some ideas for small tasks that can give you a confidence boost:

• Taking time away from screens, such as phones and social media.

• Doing the laundry

• Cleaning your kitchen or bedroom

• Washing the dishes

• Making yourself a delicious meal

• Read a chapter of a book you like

The idea is setting goals in real life, outside of a video game or social media, and achieving them so that you feel better about what you were able to accomplish in that day. If you are asking yourself how to improve your self esteem, then tasks like these can truly do wonders. 

3. Get Dressed Up

Take a shower, comb your hair, and put on an outfit you love! Everyone has their own personal style, and dressing in the way we want to be perceived can make you feel like a whole new person. Dress for yourself, in what makes you feel awesome, not for how others look at you. If you have a big meeting or important event, this tip can let you walk into the building like you own the place.

4. Practice Self-Compassion

You don’t need to earn confidence. You can be confident today. And by feeling confident, you are not making yourself less likely to become successful. In fact, by being confident and relaxed today, even if you didn’t finish everything on your check list, you are setting yourself up for more success down the line. 

5. Stand Up Straight

We often think of our emotions like this: my brain tells me how I feel, and I respond with bad posture if I feel bad, or a smiling face if I feel good. But, did you know that sometimes, the reverse is actually true? That is to say: your emotions take cues from your body and face as well. So if you are slouched over, then your body might take that to mean that you are not feeling confident. Sit up straight or stand up straight, and approach the situation with more self-confidence!

6. List Your Strengths

Take a moment to think about all the things you’ve done right. Think about the things that you love about yourself. Think about the goals you set and saw through. Look at yourself through the compassionate eyes of someone who loves you unconditionally, like a pet or grandparent. You can even take a moment to open up a notebook and list the things that you love most about yourself.

Just be sure to turn off that inner voice that makes you feel bad about loving yourself. It isn’t vain or conceited to recognize your strengths. You have a lot of things to be proud of, and that’s just the truth.

7. Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Try something new to get those brain pathways stretching out in new directions. Take a new route to work. Book a trip to a place you’ve never been. Read something challenging. Run an extra mile. Few things can make you feel confident, like showing yourself that you can do something that you didn’t previously think you were capable of. 

8. Keep Good Company

As the saying goes: We are the company we keep.

The people around you have a large effect on the way you see yourself. If they celebrate you and laugh with you, then you will reflect that joy. But if they are constantly tearing you down, then you might have a toxic friendship or toxic relationship on your hands. Consider a change in your current cast of characters. 

Use these tips to give your confidence an upgrade!