Self- confidence /esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. It’s based on our opinions and beliefs about ourselves, which can sometimes feel really difficult to change.
Your self- confidence/ esteem can affect how you feel and can cause damage to certain areas of your life, for example look at the list below and see if any of them remind you of your own thoughts:
- I tend to people please.
- I don’t like or value myself as a person.
- I feel unable to make decisions and assert myself.
- I can’t recognise my own strengths.
- I feel unable to try new or difficult things.
- I can’t show kindness towards myself.
- I find it hard to move past mistakes without unfairly blaming myself.
- I fail to take or make the time I need for myself.
- I don’t believe I matter and feel that I am not good enough.
- I believe I don’t deserve happiness.
Do You Know What Caused Your Lack of Self-Confidence/Esteem?
The things that affect our self-confidence/esteem differ for everyone. Your self-confidence/esteem might have changed suddenly, or you might have had low self-confidence/esteem issues for a long time – which might make it hard to recognise how you feel and make changes.
Difficult or stressful life experiences can often be the reason or cause, things like:
- Family or relationship problems, separation or divorce.
- Being bullied or abused.
- Experiencing prejudice, discrimination or stigma, including racism.
- Losing your job or difficulty finding other work.
- Issues at work or whilst studying.
- Ongoing stress.
- Physical health problems.
- Mental health problems.
- Constant worry about your appearance and body image.
- Problems with money or housing.
You might have had some of those experiences, and you might also have had difficulties that aren’t listed above. Or there might not be just one particular reason, there could be multiple reasons.
However, it is important to remember that whatever has caused your lack of self-confidence/esteem, you have the right to feel good about yourself, and who you are.
It might feel very difficult to change things, but there are various things you can try to improve your self-confidence/esteem, but today I will give you one very powerful technique that costs nothing, and that is the use of positive affirmations.
Are you wondering what positive affirmations are?
Affirmations are a positive tool for self-improvement. Put simply, they are short, positive sentences that are designed to be spoken out loud and repeated as a tool for removing negativity from your mindset, replacing it with a feeling of positivity and confidence.
They are intended to help you challenge what you believe about yourself and they can be a valuable tool in building self-confidence/esteem. The Latin word ‘affirmation’ means to strengthen and make steadfast and that is exactly what affirmations have the power to do.
They have the power to strengthen your resolve and make you steadfast in your belief in yourself and all that you can achieve. Once you truly believe you can achieve all your dreams, you are more likely to take any relevant steps needed to take you there.
Read some of these affirmations below and see how powerful they are:
“I am free to choose my own path and shape my own destiny.”
“I am happy with myself and with all that I have achieved.”
“I deserve to experience all of the fun and cheer that life has to offer.
“I am strong, powerful, and resilient, I can overcome all obstacles in my path.”
“I forgive those in my life that have caused me pain and wish them only joy.”
“I am sailing towards new and exciting horizons.”
“I have the self-belief to know that I am a beautiful person inside and out.”
“I can climb any mountain and I am reaching greater heights every day.”
“I am a bright and shining presence in any room.”
“I am talented and resourceful and can achieve all that I set my mind to,”
Focus on the affirmative message, and absorb its power for positivity.
So when and how should you use positive affirmations?
By simply building positive affirmations into your daily routine and repeating them to yourself, as you prepare for the day ahead or as you prepare to sleep, this will be a great way to benefit from their confidence-boosting abilities.
By doing this you will bolster your belief in yourself, washing all negativity away. It doesn’t matter when you do them, it only matters that you do.
Whenever you choose to do them, repeat them aloud and often with positivity, believing in all that you can be, and you will be on the road toward a new, more confident you.
