How to build confidence? That’s a question that often comes up, no matter what field of work or education you may be exploring. Confidence is a skill and trait that is highly sought after, but not easy to hone.
Confidence levels are directly linked to your self-doubt or inner critic. It can manifest itself in many ways, be it due to an unpleasant experience or poor performance, name a few. What was a confidence builder can become a confidence killer very quickly. You may be feeling good about yourself at work and suddenly, there’s a presentation that’s assigned to you and your confidence and feel-good levels take a dip.
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Understanding self-confidence in adults
To put it simply – the belief in yourself that you can do things well.
But when you consider your own emotions, psychological energy and mental wellbeing, self-confidence is a bit more complex. It involves your own perceptions of things and abilities.
For example, Tom Brady knows he is a good football player and hence he has the self-confidence he needs to succeed. For him, confidence-building activities are all about practice, practice and practice.
For the average millennial worker, self-confidence is about work-related and personal life too! From dating and sex to work performance and hobbies, how you view yourself and your abilities can define your confidence levels.
In case you’ve gone through a break-up, your confidence levels when dating again would be low because you’re hurt. In case you make a mistake at work, you may lack belief in your ability when the next assignment rolls in for you. This is why confidence-boosting and building activities are important.
In most situations, self-confidence is very easily identifiable and a straightforward solution usually presents itself. But sometimes, believing in yourself can seem like a monumental challenge and a mountain to climb. If that’s the case with you, confidence-building activities can be your best friend.
A few simple confidence-building activities can do wonders to win back your mental strength and make you feel good. Let’s go over some simple tricks and answer the question – how to build confidence?
What are confidence-building activities?
Confidence building activities are mindset changes and actionable activities that can help you boost your confidence and mental toughness over time. But first, let’s understand what self-confidence is, and what a lack of self-confidence looks like.
How to build confidence with simple activities?
Here are some 7 simple confidence-building activities for adults:
- Work on your strengths, not your weaknesses
- Improve your body language
- Become process-oriented
- Express your feelings and put your needs first
- Celebrate every win, no matter small or big
- Practice meditation and mindfulness
- Work with a professional expert or therapist
Let’s go over some simple yet brilliant confidence-building activities you can work on to build your self-confidence. In order for them to be successful, you will need to be patient and give it time and effort. They are designed to be easy and you can add it to your life to boost your confidence and make them a part of your lifestyle
Work on your strengths, not your weaknesses
It’s very easy to feel downbeat and focus on your weaknesses when things are not going your way. Negativity bias is a common feeling where you tend to look at negative things with a microscope rather than the positives. So even during times of difficulties, a great confidence-building activity is to focus on your strengths and work on them, rather than correcting your weaknesses. If you’re feeling low, take a pen and paper and write down 3 things you like about yourself and 3 things you’re good at in life. Work on making those strengths better and you’ll find your confidence building
Improve your body language
Your internal confidence is the mental side of things that covers how you feel and how you perceive your own abilities. However, external confidence is equally important when it comes to confidence-building and that is why body language is important. Always stand tall, make yourself large, take deep breaths and don’t slouch. If you can portray confidence on the outside, even though you’re feeling low inside, you will manifest positive energy and feelings. Consider your own power poses and try to stand tall, with your head high, shoulders straight and chin up during times of high pressure to keep your confidence levels high
Become process-oriented
A big confidence killer is an outcome. When you do things right and follow the correct processes, but yet the outcome is not favourable, you feel a loss of motivation and low confidence. However, that’s being unfair to yourself and the process you’ve followed. It may not have worked this time, but following the right processes and working in a methodical manner, be it your studies or work or relationships, will always prove to be fruitful. By adopting a mindset where you focus only on the process of your decision making and understand that the final outcome is not in your control, you become more assured of your own abilities and it can help build your confidence levels
Express your feelings and put your needs first
It’s so easy to be passive and just go with the flow while your self-confidence is low. At work, you might become a “yes person” and people will take advantage of you by giving you more work than you can swallow. Or if you help everyone with their studies, your own might suffer. Instead, learn to say “no” and respectfully express your feelings and needs first. By doing this, you’re taking your power back, making yourself a priority and making yourself important. And trust us, you are important
Celebrate every win, no matter small or big
You successfully exercised every day for 7 days? Give yourself a pat on the back. Finished a major assignment before the deadline? Treat yourself to a nice meal. Successfully helped a friend with a problem? Watch TV and enjoy a glass of wine. By rewarding yourself for doing something, you’re wiring your brain to secrete dopamine, a feel-good hormone. This can directly improve your confidence levels and help you stay motivated and happy. This confidence building activity can be useful even now because if you’ve come this far in our article, celebrate it as a small win!
Practice meditation and mindfulness
Regular meditation practice can be one of the most powerful and effective confidence-building activities you could try. It helps you connect with your innermost thoughts and feelings, gives you time to think and process your thoughts and improve your mental state of mind. Over time, meditation can help you boost confidence, improve your decision making and make you happier!
Work with a professional expert or therapist
Sometimes, a qualified professional is the best way to come out of a slump. Working with a professional can help you build your confidence back, learn proven techniques to maintain your self-confidence and be more practical and positive in your approach to life. Remember, it’s okay to ask for help and you deserve advice, support and encouragement!
In case you’re feeling low on confidence and don’t know where to start, please email us at info@evolveinc.io and we would be happy to help you get in touch with a qualified professional who can help you.
So, how to build confidence and make it long-lasting? Make it a habit. Whatever you like to do, whatever you’re good at and whatever technique you are trying to improve your confidence levels or personal growth – make it a habit. That’s the easiest way to make these confidence-building activities a part of your lifestyle for good.
Create a plan, set realistic goals and work on it for a few hours every week. If that’s journaling in your diary or standing in front of the mirror and practising what you want to say. Take time to work on yourself and make your own happiness a priority. Remember – you have the ability to take control of your own habits and perceptions of yourself and become better over time!
You some of the mindfulness sessions for free by Evolve here!
With over 300 articles published on Evolve. Jash is one of the most viewed writers on topics such as Sleep, Mindfulness and Stress. Drop a mail at Jash@evolveinc.in to connect with him.
