There are many ways that one can uplift one’s confidence and here are few mentioned :
1. Visualize yourself as you want to be (Visualization):
“What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.” - Napoleon Hill
Visualization is the technique of seeing an image of yourself that you are proud of, in your own mind. When we struggle with low self-confidence, we have a poor perception of ourselves that is often inaccurate. Practice visualizing a fantastic version of yourself, achieving your goals as it often helps in uplifting our mood and confidence as reported by most of the researches.
2. Affirm yourself more Often:
"Affirmations are one of the most powerful tools to deliberately install desired beliefs about yourself." - Nikki Carnevale
We tend to behave in accordance with our own self-image. The trick to making lasting change is to change how you view yourself.
Affirmations are positive and uplifting statements that we say to ourselves. These are normally more effective if said out loud so that you can hear yourself say it. We tend to believe whatever we tell ourselves constantly. For example, if you hate your own physical appearance, practice saying something that you appreciate or like about yourself when you next look in the mirror.
To get your brain to accept your positive statements more quickly, phrase your affirmations as questions like, “Why am I so good in making deals?” instead of “I am so good at making deals."
3. Face your fears: Try Doing something that scares you every day:
“Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself”
The best way to overcome fear is to face it head-on. By doing something that scares you every day and gaining confidence in every experience, you will see your self-confidence soar. So, get out of your comfort zone and face your fears.
4. Question your inner critic:
“You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” - Louise L. Hay
If you struggle with low self-confidence, there is a possibility that your inner critic has become overactive and inaccurate and gradually a vicious cycle.
Strategies like CBT helps you to question your inner critic and look for evidence to support or deny the things that your inner critic is saying to you. For example, if you think that you are a failure, ask yourself, “What evidence is there to support the thought that I am a failure?” and “What evidence is there that doesn’t support the thought that I am a failure?”
Find opportunities to appreciate, congratulate, compliment and reward yourself, even for the smallest successes. As Mark Twain said, “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”
5. Take the 100 days of rejection challenge:
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
Jia Jiang has become famous for recording his experience of “busting fear” by purposefully making crazy requests of people in order to be rejected over 100 days. His purpose was to desensitize himself to rejection after he became more upset than he expected over rejection from a potential investor. Give yourself some time to have a negative experience and consider them as part and parcel of life rather than jumping to conclusion on the basis of limited experience.
6. Set yourself up to win:
“To establish true self-confidence, we must concentrate on our successes and forget about the failures and the negatives in our lives.” - Denis Waitley
Start by setting yourself small goals that you can win easily. Once you have built a stream of successes that make you feel good about yourself, you can then move on to harder goals. Make sure that you also keep a list of all your achievements, both large and small, to remind yourself of the times that you have done well. Too many people are discouraged about their abilities because they set themselves goals that are too difficult to achieve.
Instead of focusing only on “to-do" lists, I like to spend time reflecting on “did-it" lists. Reflecting on the major milestones, projects and goals you’ve achieved is a great way to reinforce confidence in your skills.
7. Help someone else:
Helping someone else often enables us to forget about ourselves and to feel grateful for what we have. It also feels good when you are able to make a difference for someone else.
Instead of focusing on your own weaknesses, volunteer to mentor, practically assist or teach another, and you'll see your self-confidence grow automatically in the process.
8. Care for yourself:
“Self-care is never a selfish act- it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.” - Parker Palmer
Self-confidence depends on a combination of good physical health, emotional health and social health. It is hard to feel good about yourself if you hate your physique or constantly have low energy.
Make time to cultivate great exercise, eating and sleep habits. In addition, dress the way you want to feel. Build your self-confidence by making the effort to look after your own needs.
9. Create personal boundaries and Be Assertive :
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.”- Harvey Fierstein
Teach others to respect your personal boundaries. Learn to say ‘NO’. Assertiveness helps to deal in with issues much before they take a big shape. If necessary, take classes on how to be more Assertive and learn to ask for what you want. The more control and say that you have over your own life, the greater will be your self-confidence.
10. Shift to an Equality Mentality.
“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” - Marilyn Monroe
People with low self-confidence often see others as better or more deserving than themselves. Instead of carrying this perception, see yourself as being equal to everyone. Everyone has weakness and they are no better or more deserving than you. Make a mental shift to an equality mentality and you will automatically see an improvement in your self-confidence.