Even the most outwardly confident people have moments when their self confidence isn’t as high as they’d like it to be. And mere mortals like you and me usually have more of those times when we’re nowhere near as confident as we’d like to be. Here are some simple tips to help build self confidence in yourself.
Dress well
Dress to impress doesn’t just work on other people. If you’re scruffy, you won’t be helping your self confidence one bit.
You don’t have to wear a suit or similar – it can be as simple as having clothes that fit you comfortably and have maybe seen an iron rather than helping you look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.
Simply taking a pride in your appearance – including your clothes – can help give you the edge in the self confidence stakes.
Learn to smile
They say “smile and the world smiles with you” and that’s a lot truer that it seems at first glance.
Smiling changes your internal attitude – it triggers other parts of your body to be happier.
It also changes how people perceive you – most people prefer to be around happy, smiling people than being with someone who drags the whole atmosphere downwards as if their own personal thunderstorm has now started to drench everyone who comes into close contact with them.
So practice smiling again and notice how it shifts your attitude and the attitude of the people you come into contact with.
Be grateful
Saying the simple words “thank you” can make all the difference.
They’re a signal that you’re grateful for whatever has just happened – whether it’s being served by someone in a shop or restaurant or something else entirely.
If you can without it seeming weird and contrived, say the words “thank you” out loud.
If it’s not appropriate to say the words out loud, say them in your head. It will have a very similar effect and will help you to exude more confidence.
Watch your posture
Slouching isn’t good.
Nor is pointing your head constantly downwards like a sullen teenager.
Look ahead or slightly upwards and you’ll feel happier.
In fact, it’s near enough impossible to be grumpy when your head is looking up – that’s one of the reasons that fast food restaurants have their menus above head height.
Get some exercise
Exercise releases endorphins – our own natural happiness drug that our body manufactures.
Exercise helps your body to manufacture endorphins and they go on to give you a happiness boost which will, in turn, help build your self confidence.
It doesn’t have to be hard “gym rat” exercise either. Even just a slightly brisker walk than normal will make a difference. Or taking the stairs rather than the elevator. Or even just parking your car further from the entrance to the shopping mall than you normally would, forcing yourself to take a few extra steps.
Give one or more of these tips a short trial and notice how they help to build your self confidence.
