How to Feel Confident and Overcome Self-Doubt

For many of us, self-confidence is hard to come by. Life is tough. Sometimes you fail, and after enough failures, you start to lose your confidence.

It’s a vicious spiral and it’s hard to escape. But there’s hope. You can improve your self-confidence all by yourself, and this article will show you how.

So, read on and learn how to feel confident again.

Fake It Till You Make It

One of the most startling things you learn as you grow older is that everyone fakes it. No one is confident in every situation, and no one knows what they’re doing all the time. Most of the time, they’re just copying the people around them.

It’s all a big charade; the best thing to do is play along. When you start a new job, mimic your new co-workers. When you pick up a new hobby, talk about it like an expert. When you want to start a new career, act like you’re a seasoned professional.

We often put ourselves in spirals of self-doubt. We don’t do things because we don’t think we’re qualified, but we’re not qualified because we never do them. So to break the spiral, just do it.

Eventually, you’ll have spent so much time faking it, it’ll become second nature. And you’ll be doing it with confidence.

Pay Attention to Your Body Language

Don’t just fake it in the workplace, fake it in your personal life. Carry yourself like a confident person would, and eventually, you’ll actually be a confident person.

That might sound like nonsense, but it works. According to a recent study, when people stand tall and adopt powerful poses, they not only feel more powerful, but they actually produce more testosterone.

Furthermore, when you adopt a powerful pose, others are more likely to treat you with respect and reverence. They’ll believe you’re a confident person. And soon, you will too.

And remember, you don’t need to look mean to look powerful. So, don’t forget to smile.

Live a Healthy Lifestyle

It’s a lot easier to be confident when you feel good. And to feel good, you need to take care of yourself.

Start with the basics. Eat a healthy diet and start exercising (if you don’t already). Treat your body with the respect it deserves.

You’ll be in a better mood, you’ll produce more endorphins, and you’ll look great. It’s a shortcut to confidence.

But healthy living doesn’t stop at diet exercise. Give meditation a try. You’ll be able to better manage your feelings and think more clearly.

Be Kind to Yourself

We live in a culture of self-blame. If you eat too much cake, it’s because you don’t have enough self-control. If you didn’t get that job, it’s because you’re not smart enough.

You get the idea.

But this kind of thinking is toxic and unhelpful. Guilt is the enemy of confidence.

Next time you overeat, pay attention to the way it makes you feel. If you don’t feel good, eat less next time. Not as punishment, but because you love yourself and deserve to feel good.

Next time you feel dumb, think of all the things you’re good at. Remember all the skills you have, and work on your weaknesses. Again, not as punishment, but because you’re worth the effort.

Self-love takes practice. Most of us spend so much time criticizing ourselves that it becomes second nature. Your mind gets used to self-criticism and it just happens without you even thinking about it.

Breaking the self-criticism pattern is difficult, but it’s an important step toward developing self-confidence. Next time you want to criticize, give a compliment instead.

And that goes for other people as well. If you’re good at criticizing others, you’ll be good at criticizing yourself.

If you have trouble being kind to yourself, start a diary in which you write all the wonderful things you do throughout the day, even if they’re as simple as making a delicious lunch or letting someone cut in front of you in line. Write down times in your life when you’ve felt your strongest, and remember those moments in times of need.

Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

Comparing yourself to others is almost as bad for your self-confidence as constant self-criticism. And in today’s social media-driven world, it’s easier than ever to do.

First, remember that when you see your friends’ Facebook profiles, you’re only seeing the best moments. It may look like they’re happy all the time, but that’s because no one is uploading photos of their lonely nights drowning their sadness in junk food.

We promise, even the most successful people have bad moments. They have weaknesses and doubts. And that’s ok.

It’s an old cliche, but no one’s perfect, and everyone’s unique. Live your life and don’t worry about what the people around you think.

Help Others

Offering your help to other people, whether to friends or to strangers in need, will fill you with a feeling of self-worth. You have a lot to offer. Even if it may not seem like a lot to you, it could do wonders for someone in need.

You’ll feel good about yourself and confident in your abilities.

And when you yourself need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it. We all need help sometimes. Recognizing that and embracing that is an important part of being self-confident.

How to Feel Confident

Now you have a whole set of tips and tricks for how to feel confident, but that’s not quite enough. You need to actually put them into practice.

Training your mind to self-confidence won’t happen overnight, but it will happen. Stick to what we told you above and you’ll get there. We believe in you!