A feeling of trust in your abilities, qualities, and judgment? The American Psychological Association defines self-confidence as “a belief that one is capable of successfully meeting the demands of a task.”
It can refer to a general sense of trust in your ability to control your life, or it might be more situation-specific.
But cultivating and maintaining confidence isn’t easy and it’s an easy thing to lose when you feel like you’ve failed or made a mistake. That’s why actively working on building up your self-confidence is so crucial, it’s something you have to maintain.
Ways to Be More Confident
Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
Surround Yourself With Positive People
Take Care of Your Body
Here are a few self-care practices linked to higher levels of self-confidence
Diet: Healthy eating comes with many benefits, including higher levels of confidence and self-esteem. When you fuel your body with nutrient-dense foods, you feel healthier, stronger, and more energized, which can result in feeling better about yourself.
Exercise: Studies consistently show that physical exercise boosts self-confidence. For instance, a 2016 study found that regular physical activity improved participants’ body image. And when their body image improved, they felt more confident.7
Meditation: More than just a relaxation practice, meditation can help boost self-confidence in several ways. For one, it helps you to recognize and accept yourself. Meditation also teaches you to stop negative self-talk and disconnect from unhelpful mental chatter interfering with your confidence.
Sleep: Skimping on sleep can take a toll on your emotions. Conversely, good-quality sleep has been linked with positive personality traits, including optimism and self-esteem
Be Kind to Yourself
Self-compassion involves treating yourself with kindness when you make a mistake, fail, or experience a setback. It allows you to become more emotionally flexible and helps you better navigate challenging emotions, enhancing your connection to yourself and others.
Practice Positive Self-Talk
Face Your Fears
Stop putting things off until you feel more self-confident—like asking someone on a date or applying for a promotion. One of the best ways to build your confidence in these situations is by facing your fears head-on
Do Things You’re Good At
What happens when you do things that you are good at? Your self-confidence starts to soar. Your strengths become even stronger, which helps improve your belief in yourself. Taking this approach also has another benefit: it can increase how satisfied you are with your life.
Know When to Say No
While doing things you’re good at can give your self-confidence a boost, it’s equally important to recognize situations that can cause your confidence to plummet. Maybe you find that every time you participate in a certain activity, you feel worse about yourself instead of better.
Set Realistic Goals
Pursuing your goals often involves failing several times until you figure out what works. This can make you wonder if you have what it takes to succeed. It can also leave you questioning how to be more confident while still achieving your dreams. The answer lies in setting realistic goals.
Realistic goals are achievable. And the more you achieve your goals, the greater your confidence in yourself and your abilities.
Being confident in yourself just feels good. That said, having self-confidence can also bring many additional benefits at home, at work, and within your relationships.