Becoming More Confident

Confidence and self belief in general is something I’ve struggled with for the past few years. I found I was letting it get on top of me and having an impact on so many things I wanted to do. I’ve always been a “can do” sort of person and tried my best at everything, but for a while there was a cast of doubt or worry in the back of my mind as to whether I could actually do it, which in the end had an affect on my performance, and how I felt in general. From January I have noticed a massive difference in myself, I feel like I have almost trained myself to become more confident, I’m definitely not there just yet, but I’m on the right track! I’ve listed a couple of little things that have helped me become more confident.

Reflect on negative thoughts when lacking in confidence

A lot of the time lack of confidence comes from not being able to do something before, or just general lack of self recognition, which I was definitely experiencing! I’ve found it really helpful when I am doubting myself to think about why, I don’t try and block out the thoughts but understand why I feel that way at that particular time. From doing this I found that there was no rational to my lack of confidence, especially when as a child I was really confident.

Looking back at past experiences really helped my confidence grow, and pluck up the courage to just get up and get on with it. By reflecting on negative thoughts I realised certain things make me feel less confident, like being unprepared, now I make sure I feel as prepared as possible for situations that I feel less confident in.

Step out of your comfort zone as much as possible 

My confidence grows the more I step outside of my comfort zone. Even if it does mean I feel awkward, and it doesn’t feel great at the time, afterwards it’s almost like “oh, what’s the big deal,” and then I feel like I can do that again. I’ve been trying to do little things that I wouldn’t normally do, and slowly it is making a massive difference. I think when you’re a natural worrier this can be so difficult, but the unknown can actually be a really good thing.

Recognise all the amazing things that you do

I didn’t used to think about how much effort I put into my blog, how much my photography has improved or my good marks at uni. Now I actually celebrate my success, even if it is just by recognising them and being happy with my progress. It can be absolutely anything, making a list is also really helpful to see how many things you have achieved!

Fake it till you make it 

My favourite quote at the minute, by faking confidence I got myself a first in my dissertation presentation, which even afterwards I thought went really bad! From that experience alone I learnt to stop being so hard on myself, imagine if we were all as nice to ourselves as we are to our loved ones!

I hope this has been helpful in some way, I would love to know if you have any suggestions on how to have more confidence…

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