Six ways to build self-confidence

Having self-confidence means that you have trust in your abilities, capabilities, and judgment. This also shows your ability to control the things happening in your life.

"Not everyone is born with an inbuilt sense of self-confidence. Sometimes it can be hard to develop confidence, either because personal experiences have caused you to lose confidence or because you suffer from low self-esteem. A confident person means; you are willing to take risks, optimistic, admit mistakes and learn from them," according to ReachOut.

So, how can you achieve self-confidence? Here are the things that you can do, according to Verywell Mind:

1. Be with positive people – Make sure you surround yourself with friends who lift you up and can influence you to be a better person. Pay attention to how they make you feel. True friends support you and want the best for you.

2. Don't compare yourself to others – You will never be happy if you keep comparing yourself with the people around you. Always remember that you are blessed in so many different ways and once you learn to appreciate everything, you will be happier.

3. Be kind to yourself – Don't be too hard on yourself. Remember that everyone commits mistakes or experiences a setback. Your imperfections allow you to be more flexible and help you to control your emotions.

4. Stay healthy – It is hard to feel good about yourself if you are not feeling good and healthy. To feel naturally confident, you need to stay healthy by having a balanced diet, regular exercise, meditating, and sleeping for eight hours.

5. Enhance your strengths – Do things you are good at. When strengths become stronger, it helps you to believe more in yourself. Taking this approach also has another benefit: it can increase how satisfied you are with your life.

6. Set realistic goals – avoid setting high-reaching goals to avoid disappointment. What you can do is achieve small and realistic goals that will help you attain your big dreams. To set realistic goals, write down what you want to achieve.

Meanwhile, here are the benefits of having self-confidence according to BetterUp:

• You could experience healthy relationships – when you are confident you know how to appreciate and support the people around you.
• You could succeed in your job- your self-confidence will help you sustain your hard work and abilities.
• You experience greater resilience – whatever life throws you, you can back bounce back faster because of your confidence. You have done your best, and you can view it as a learning opportunity.

Learning to be more confident can benefit a lot of aspects of your life, such as having a better relationship with other people, and it can make you more resilient to stress. However, if your lack of self-confidence interferes with your work, social life, or education, it is recommended for you to speak with a mental health professional so that you can be well-guided. (KBAPI)