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Having a strong sense of self is extremely important for your mental health. If you are struggling with low self-esteem, there is something you can do about it. Inner strength and a positive mindset can be learned by everyone. Learn more about how your self-esteem comes about and how you can gain more self-confidence and self-confidence in this article.
Did you know that most people live in a limited range of potentials? The American psychologist and philosopher William James made this observation over a century ago. This approach is still relevant today. The reasonwhy so many people never realize their own potential, namely, is not a lack of intelligence, possibilities or resources. Rather, the cause is a lack of self-confidence and not enough self-confidence.
You may not even realize how much potential there is in you because you are constantly slowing yourself down beforehand. It does not need to remain this way. If you have desires, dreams and goals, don't throw them overboard. Everyone can achieve their goal! Some people may give you the impression that it is easier for them because they may have “better” basic requirements or opportunities.
Perhaps you are one of those people who have to do a little more for the same goals than other people around you. But is that really supposed to prevent you from actually reaching them? After all, you are in control of your own life. Looking to the left and right is certainly not wrong, but you shouldn't lose your own way because you are constantly comparing yourself with others. If you do not change anything, for example because you let yourself be intimidated or give up quickly and are of the opinion that you will not make it to your goal anyway, then you are creating the best conditions for failure.
If you find yourself here again, you should definitely read on. Because we want to encourage you and convince yourself to urgently work on your self-esteem. We promise you that it will be worthwhile and that you will be able to build up an increasingly positive mindset with just small exercises and changes. Not only will you be happier and more balanced, but you will also notice that you are becoming more successful.
Strengthening self-confidence: what does that actually mean?
Often times people believe that self-esteem is something you're born with. But a strong self-confidence is not a fixed attribute. Self-awareness means that you are aware of yourself, that is, the recognition of yourself. It is the Ability to perceive yourself with your strengths and weaknesses. This also includes being able to reflect on and question one's own actions.
Without self-awareness, it is difficult to change one's behavior. Therefore it is first of all important to recognize the reasons for which you behave in certain ways. Do you notice certain behavior patterns? Only after reflecting on and dealing with yourself can you determine for yourself whether you really want to change yourself. Next is self-confidence Result of your experiences and thoughts as well as the decisions you make in life triffst. In addition, your environment also plays a role, as your own image can change due to the attributed characteristics of the group or individuals.
How is self-confidence created?
Your self-confidence is already becoming whole significantly shaped in childhood. Your personality and your own image of you will begin to form in the first few years of your life. Experiences that you have with your parents, teachers and friends also have a strong influence on how your self-esteem develops. Many equate the terms of self-awareness and self-esteem. Often, behind the desire to gain more self-confidence is actually the Desire for a higher self-esteem and more self-confidence.
A child must be treated with love, respect, and kindness in order to develop positive self-esteem. If a child is treated badly, such as bullied at school or feels inferior, it can long-term damage to self-esteem to have. Perhaps you still remember situations in your life or you observe it in your own children that the perception of others plays a major role, especially as teenagers.
All the stimuli we pick up are processed in the brain, which activates neurons. This also includes stimuli such as how our fellow human beings interact with us, how they react to us or talk about us. If we keep receiving positive stimuli, these areas in the brain become stronger and more stable. Conversely, this also applies to negative stimuli such as bullying or neglect.
But no matter how many hurdles you have already had to overcome in your life, no matter how insecure you are or whether your life is marked by strokes of fate and difficult times. You can change something about it now and here! The decisions we make essentially determine the development of our self-confidence and that is not set in stone. With a few practical tips, we can actively promote our own self-confidence.
At this point once again very clearly: Self-confidence does not mean that you are perfect and flawless, but that you also stand by yourself as a person with flaws and flaws. The term self-esteem means that you recognize your own worth - many people attach their self-worth to their flaws, but concentrate on your positive traits and qualities. On this builds self-confidence or self-confidence, the ability that you trust yourself to do things and that you can act with self-confidence even in difficult moments. All of these terms and what is behind them build on and complement each other, which often leads to many people using the terms synonymously.
Boost self-confidence: why is it important?
Who is confident
- faces difficult challenges and situations
- can deal with criticism if something did not work as planned
- is less anxious
- set higher goals
- strives, under better control, to achieve his goals
- is more optimistic and satisfied
- has a balanced well-being
Our self-image ultimately influences the most important decisions we make and this determines our life. Confidence is important because it can affect all areas of your life. Of course there are moments in life when we have doubts about ourselves, have problems and are not so easy to cope with. But those who are armed with a stronger self-confidence can cope with these moments more easily.
10 tips and methods to boost your self-confidence
With these tips you can take the first step to strengthen your self-confidence, which also requires courage, so to speak. In the beginning it will not always be easy for you in some places, but stick with it and you will soon notice the first positive effects. Accept the challenge, dare to step out of the snail shell and try to apply the tips and repeat them regularly. Because as you know, your brain learns through repetition!
1. What does self-confidence and self-confidence mean to you?
We start with a writing exercise. Write down everything you can think of about these termswhich people you associate with these words and which characteristics you would attribute to them. Define for yourself what you associate with it. There is no right or wrong.
2. Focus on the positive
Next you write everything down What you are good at and what qualities you appreciate in yourself. When you practice, you will certainly come up with enough things that you do not like about yourself and will show you what you are not. Much of this is likely to coincide with the previous writing exercise. But let these negative thoughts come and go again. Give yourself as much time as you needto write down everything you can think of. That can take several days. Please don't give up at this point because you think: Oh, I can't do anything anyway. Everyone has good sides and things they can do. And also You are lovely.
3. Start the day confidently with a smile
A first path to change can start with a simple smile. If you want to start the day in a good mood and more self-confidence, do this little exercise every morning. Look in the mirror and smile at yourself. Yeah okay we admit. Especially at the beginning you might feel a bit ridiculous, but that way you only have one more reason to laugh. Smile as hard as you can for at least a minute. It doesn't matter that laughter doesn't come naturally. Smiles release feelings of happiness in your body, your mood improves and you are more relaxed.
4. Practice gratitude
Gratitude promotes the release of happiness hormones, like dopamine and serotonin. Here, too, you concentrate on the positive in your life. That can be anything that you encounter in everyday life. You consciously focus on certain things here. That can be a nice chat with your colleague, the nice weather or time that you consciously take for yourself and enjoy. Gratitude increases your general well-being. There are also many apps that remind you every day to enter something for which you are grateful today or ask you different questions every day, which also helps you to deal with yourself and thus strengthen your self-confidence.
5. Get involved in something or someone
Especially when you often feel that you are useless and worthless, charity is a good way to get back to that To find faith in yourself. By helping others, you can help yourself too. If you don't have the time to join an organization or something similar, you can also focus on the people around you. You can help your mother around the house, offer your elderly neighbor to carry her shopping upstairs or just make sure to keep the door open for other people. You can start with little things in everyday life and You will notice that you are often rewarded with attention and a nice smile, which triggers a positive feeling in you.
6. Define your goals and dreams
Achieving goals can give you a mega-boost in terms of self-confidence. What goals and dreams have you set for your life? If you think you don't have any, then look for new goals. Write down everything you can think of, no matter how crazy one or the other may seem to you. In the next step, look at what could be realistic and try to break this goal down into small milestones. Often a lofty goal seems unattainable at the beginning. With small intermediate goals you stay more motivated and you can celebrate more successes.
7. Don't compare yourself to others
Keeping your attention on other people can be a drag. Do you often think about how great and easy your colleague's life is or are you jealous of influencers who travel all the time and experience great things? On social media in particular, there is more appearance than reality behind it. Other people also have their problems and obstacles that they have to overcome. Apart from that, you lose focus on your own life.
You don't need to feel bad at all because someone manages to run to the gym more often, wears expensive clothes or has what feels like 1000 hobbies and is always on the go. Is that what you really want? Concentrate on your characteristics and on what you really enjoy. It doesn't matter how you relate to another person. After all, you have to be happy with yourself and don't live for anyone else. Be authentic, be yourself and don't forget that only you can be the change and no one else!
8. Motivate yourself
Everyone has a bad day, that's completely normal. If you've read this far, you already know a few hacks that can help you lift your spirits and go through the day more confidently. So you could use the smile method, play your favorite music and look at your piece of paper with all the great qualities you have! You can also take a look at your gratitude note, this can also cheer you up.
In addition, you can come up with a few independent motivational sayings that will encourage you. It doesn't matter whether you can't bring yourself to leave the house again, pursue certain activities, or have a challenge waiting for you that you would most like to avoid and are already looking for excuses.
When you squeeze, what feeling will it trigger in you? Probably not a good one. But how will it feel when you've mastered it? Exactly, great! And even if it is not perfect, you can gain something positive from every situation, you will learn and get closer to your goals! Remember that you have "should, should, could, wanted" and other excuses only limited yourself.
In the future, try to pay more attention to your choice of words and gradually delete sentences such as
- I want / can't ...
- I do not know how...
- I would like to...
- I think I could ...
Change your plans, what you think, into clear sentences:
- I can...
- I am...
- I will...
- I do it!
9. Motivate yourself to exercise
If you are dissatisfied with your body, it gnaws at many people's self-esteem. HOften this goes hand in hand with a lot of self-criticism and we keep getting down and small. But will that really change anything? No. In the beginning it is not easy to overcome your inner weaker self, but think about your goals! Think about how you can achieve it. What can help you to motivate yourself and achieve this goal? What do you have to do for it, what hurdles are you facing?
Even if you are already doing sports, move a lot and are simply dissatisfied with your physical performance, think about why this could be and, if necessary, seek professional advice from a trainer or reconsider your diet, which may constantly keep you from achieving your goal .
In any case, exercise is a good way of building self-confidence. Those who feel good in their body also radiate this inner strength to the outside. You will also be proud that you are disciplined in working towards your goal and that you can motivate yourself to do so. Those are great skills! Every training can be a milestone towards your big goal!
In addition, your body releases dopamine, serotonin and endorphins during physical exertion. In this case, the happiness hormone dopamine makes you more alert, ensures more concentration and drives you to perform better. After exercising you will feel great, which is because your Increase serotonin levels becomes - the feel-good hormone. With regular active exercise, the level of the stress hormone increases Cortisol lowered, which ensures that your stress resistance improves.
Very important! Do a sport that you really enjoy! You can try a lot until you find what is right for you!
10. Reward yourself and compliment yourself
If you are not that confident, then there is a high probability that you are a very self-critical person. But you can also compliment yourself, praise yourself for your achievements and be proud of yourself. Don't always look for that little spark that pulls everything right into the mud. Did you forget a slide during the presentation or couldn't answer a question? Half as bad! Maybe you have overcome your stage fright and received praise for your presentations? That's great! Forget about perfectionism! Reward yourself for challenges that you have mastered with something special for you. Be it a good meal, a nice activity or a massage. Everything that is good for you is allowed!
What can also strengthen self-confidence are compliments that you give others. Especially for shy people, this can be a huge effort. Of course you shouldn't pull anything out of your nose, but mean exactly the same. You make friends with others and at the same time strengthen your own self-confidence.
Strengthen self-confidence: When you get caught in the negative circle of thoughts
Sometimes we feel like we're trapped in a hamster wheel that just won't stop spinning, but you won't get out of place. It's easy to criticize yourself harshly, be ashamed of a failed act, or in bad cases, drown yourself in self-hatred. If that happens, try these tips:
- Forgive yourself and realize that this is Individual cases are. They don't define you as a person.
- Just write down any negative thoughtsthat are floating around in your head, let go of them and just observe without judging.
- Convert the negative into the positive by yourself show what you have learned from this experience in order to achieve a better result in the future. Focus on the negative with a positive outlook and see it as a development process.
In the case of negative thoughts, it also helps to filter one's self-criticism into truth and fiction, which is known in psychology as reframing. You can also keep a diary or a simple protocol.
Summary
Self-awareness is not a gift from nature, which is innate. Everyone can become self-confident, self-assured and thus have a positive influence on their life. Inner self-satisfaction has an incredibly big effect on how we go through our lives, what challenges we master and how, and whether we achieve our goals. If you want to boost your self-esteem, don't forget that this is a process and won't happen overnight. But if you use these hacks over and over again in the long term, you will feel the effect! Really everyone can learn to strengthen their self-confidence!
If you suffer a lot from your self-confidence, you cannot get out of your negatively influenced thoughts on your own and you have the feeling that you cannot cope with your problems, then you should go to a therapist for an initial consultation. For many people this is still a taboo subject, but there is no reason why you should be ashamed of it. If you break a leg or have other physical complaints, you end up seeing a doctor. And our psychological ailments can also be treated in the same way. All you have to do is call and ask for an initial conversation.