Ways to Improve Your Self-Confidence & Build Your Self-Esteem

Should you be the kind of person who always shies away from speaking up in a crowd and prefers a quieter and more intimate setting for conversation, then this does not necessarily mean that you need to work on your confidence levels; it could just mean that you are more of the considered type, especially in a group.

If, however, you regularly feel as if your own feelings, needs, concerns, and opinions are simply not being heard and that you never command respect, even from your nearest and dearest, then it is time to stand up for yourself and build your confidence.

As self-confidence is so intrinsically linked to self-esteem, here are five ways to significantly boost both: to help you get what you want out of life and for your voice to be heard.

1. Physically Engage in Conversations 

When speaking to a friend, colleague, or family member, you may well get the sensation of waiting, finally, for your turn to speak and, as if they are reciting what feels like a Shakespearian monologue every time they open their mouth.

Now, instead of automatically assuming that they are not interested in what you have to say, they may well sense that you are not willing to open up and chat for any length of time and be filling the silence. 

From now on, even if you were always a good listener, show physical signs of engagement by maintaining eye contact, resisting the urge to fidget, ignoring any distractions and most importantly, believing in your convictions, your opinions, and speak up. 

2. Celebrate Your Past Achievements 

Next, the best indicator of future behavior is past behavior. As such, if you continue to tell yourself that you are not as good as the person sitting on the next desk at work or are continually negatively comparing yourself to old school friends on social media, you will never improve your mindset. 

Treat yourself to a new notebook and inside, write down the ten events or memories you have experienced and made that both brought you joy in the moment and furthermore, make you feel even a little proud or happy when thinking back to them. 

From this list, you can start to (slowly but surely) build your self-esteem by developing unique and personal positive affirmations for you to recite to yourself, either out loud or in your head, when you are afflicted with an attack of self-doubt. 

3. Work on Your Smile

Even if there are many times when smiling and laughing are the last things you want to be doing, it is a scientific and medically backed fact that smiling and laughing releases the kind of ‘happy’ hormones that can significantly boost mood. 

Moving forward, try and smile more in conversations, be that with the local cashier at the store, or when a colleague hands you a new set of staples in the office. 

Furthermore, you may also be interested in undergoing a professional tooth whitening treatment. If so, contact dartmoordental.co.uk, who can talk you through everything from teeth whitening to sedation options to remove anxiety from dental treatments. 

4. Regular Physical Exercise 

Not only does engaging in physical exercise significantly boost your overall heart and lung health, as well as boost your emotional wellbeing, but it can also even help you feel more confident in yourself.

There is a wealth of evidence and research to support the link between regular exercise and higher levels of self-esteem. Just a twenty-minute walk every morning can also help reduce your stress and anxiety levels, improve your cognitive brain function, and give you a sense of accomplishment. 

5. Start to Stand Up for Yourself

Even though this is, admittedly, easier said than done, it is not enough to begin to speak up in conversations. You also need to start to stand up for yourself when you feel you have been wronged or, indeed, you feel as someone you love has been dealt a bad hand. 

You should start small, say when someone bumps into you in a supermarket; instead of automatically apologizing as is your normal response, smile and thank them for the apology.