There are a lot of reasons because of which one struggles in life. As much as 45.5% of teens confessed that they have low self-confidence is certainly one of the reasons. The most important and impactful one can be- somebody just lost a concert, somebody failed an exam, somebody just lost a loved one and someone is suffering from life-taking disease but does this mean that you have the excuse to give up on life?
I understand, it’s not an easy place to be in and it’s even tougher to struggle yourself out of it. But don’t worry, we’ve got a guide to help. We won’t promise that it’s easy, but it is simple and would get you back in the game.
1)The comparison has to stop
Sometimes or well, most of the times, one puts themselves down in their own heads when they start comparing themselves to someone else. We forget about how everyone had different circumstances, different experiences which lead to different outcomes and push ourselves further into the low confidence pit.
This negative mentality needs to end because it has been noted that 75% of the girls with low self-esteem tend to engage in self-harm activities like drinking or even drugs. You need to accept that you don’t have to be better than anyone else but just a better version of yourself – repeat this every day in front of the mirror and if not perfectly fine, you would at least be better.
2)Challenge yourself every day
Self-confidence comes with experiences and learning. If you know believe there is something that you can do, you would be confident about it. The best way to believe? To do it already. If you are scared of heights, walk across a short bridge daily. Do things you are scared of. Do things that don’t come to you easily. Create motivational posters and hang them on your wall to read it as soon as you wake up in the morning. Put yourself in a spot and battle to get out of it. Don’t give up and set a goal daily. Work to achieve it with a smile.
3)Physical health
It is said that mental and physical fitness are interdependent. When you aren’t eating right, when you aren’t taking care of your body, when you aren’t sleeping enough, your brain gives up along with your body. You need to be whole and nourished to be confident in your own skin. Get the right nutrition, start an exercise and sleep well. Trust me, it would bring back the self-love that you need.
4)Talk it out
The reason for your crashing confidence could always be something deeper that’s too difficult to fight alone. It could be a bad childhood experience or a teenage crisis situation. You could always find an expert or a ‘someone’ who is very close to you, to talk about it. Sometimes, all you need is to get it out, accept it and move on. If you feel that nothing else works for you, join a help group or take public speaking and interaction classes. It would help calm down the nerves and allow you to talk to new people at the same time.
5)Take the 100 days of Happiness challenge
This is a very famous social media game. People forget what they have and how privileged they are to have it. You have the happiness and sometimes you just have to remember it. Take the challenge to remember, either on your personal notebook or on Facebook, about the small and big things that you have done for yourself. It could be trying out a new ice cream flavor or going cliff diving. Or maybe just learning how to ride a bike or anything else.
Self-confidence comes when you know yourself better and that takes time. However, you can’t give up because you deserve better, in fact, best. You must affirm yourself, build up positive words and work to calm your inner critic down. It’s a whole lot of work but it will be all worth it at the end of the day. Value that you get to wake up every day and value the people around you. Value yourself and be confident about yourself. And believe me, you are going to be fine in the end – we all are going to be fine in the end.