How to regain self-confidence? 5 key ideas

Several tips to gradually strengthen your level of self-confidence.

Much of the good things we can do in our lives depend not so much on our innate abilities, but on the way we believe in our ability to face challenges.

In other words, virtually no one succeeds in their most important projects simply because they have a talent. It is more important to have a mix of luck (which, let's not deny it, has an influence) and self-confidence, a psychological disposition that allows us to move from wishes to deeds, to get down to work. In fact, without this factor, we won't even consider too many projects in the first place.

However, the level of self-confidence is not fixed, but comes and goes depending on our experiences and the way we interpret them. So... How can we regain self-confidence if we stop enjoying its beneficial influence due to self-esteem problems? Let's see several recommendations to favor this change of mental framework that allows us to believe in ourselves again.

What is self-confidence?

One of the best-known phenomena in the world of psychology is the so-called self-fulfilling prophecy effect. Basically, it is a concept that serves to indicate the way in which many times the simple fact of foreseeing that something will happen increases the chances that the predicted event will occur, or at least one very similar to it.or at least one very close to it.

Let us think, for example, of what can happen to us if we walk past many people sitting on a low wall and for some reason we think that they will find our gait strange; surely, we will try to take "conscious" control of our legs and our gait will be somewhat awkward, strange to the eye.

Well, something very similar happens with self-confidence. The fact of trusting in our possibilities can be harmful if we have a very inflated self-esteem that leads us to overestimate our virtues and abilities, but in most cases, it helps us to approach our goals and to progress in our personal and professional life.

Thus, self-confidence is a phenomenon linked to self-esteem. a phenomenon linked to self-esteem that predisposes us to take the first steps to carry out complicated or challenging tasks. or challenging tasks.

Unfortunately, there are many situations in life that are capable of eroding our self-confidence. It does not have to be a sudden decline, it can be gradual, as is often the case with aging.as is often the case with aging. However, this tendency can be counteracted by adopting useful habits to regain self-confidence.

How to regain self-confidence

These are some tips that, once incorporated into your daily life in the form of habits, will significantly increase the chances that your self-confidence will be strong again. However, none of them is enough on its own to achieve this goal, so it is best to change several of them and adapt them to your lifestyle and personal and professional context.

1. Create schedules

The first thing to do is to break with the passive attitude towards one's own life of those who have lost self-confidence.. This will activate you so that, little by little, the idea of doing things you didn't think you were capable of becomes less crazy.

So, start by setting yourself simple guidelines to structure your day to day and maintain a regularity in the way you distribute your activities week after week. It is a good idea to dedicate yourself exclusively to this first step for about a month. Once you have consolidated your routine, it will be much easier to do the following.

In addition, although it may seem like a small thing, this first milestone is already a reason to see yourself in a better light; after all, most people do not put this philosophy of discipline into practice, which brings them problems that you will be avoiding for the time being.

2. Do moderate exercise

Along the same lines of getting moving, regular exercise helps a lot. Not only will it make you feel better physically and allow you to avoid some of the risk of disease. Plus, in a few months or even weeks, the evidence that you are being able to break your own records will be revealed in the shape of your body..

3. Socialize as equals

Another aspect of life that serves to restore self-confidence is to stop seeing conversations as moments in which others test us, or in which we can make fools of ourselves. Think that you are not there to be liked, and that you are also perfectly capable of finding ways not only to show who you are, but also to get to know your interlocutors and assess whether it is worth spending your time with them.

4. Learn to identify self-sabotaging thoughts.

Rebuilding your self-confidence involves making an effort, exposing yourself at least a little to situations in which you may feel vulnerable because there are always challenges to solve. This makes it very easy to cling to excuses for not moving forward.

To avoid this, carry a small notepad with you and remember to pay attention to your thoughts as you focus your attention on those goals that await you.. If one of them is an excuse to let it go, write it down and try to remember it so that it does not become a threat again due to exposure to temptation.

5. Set yourself a personal project

Think of a project to which you can dedicate yourself for months or years, plan it, and execute it, dedicating some time every week. and execute it by dedicating some time to it every week. It is important that progress is easy to measure and that if you do it well it is cumulative.

For example, learn a language on your own, start a small business alongside your regular job, learn a form of art or craft that you can master and perfect, etc.

Looking for psychological assistance?

Having professional help is always a great help when it comes to reinforcing self-esteem and stop having self-confidence problems. If you are interested in this option, you can count on our team of psychologists at the center UPAD Psychology & Coachinglocated in Madrid (Calle Rey Francisco, nº 27). To see our contact details, click here.

Bibliographical references:

• Judge, T. A.; Bono, J. E. (2001). "Relationship of core self-evaluations traits-self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability-with job satisfaction and job performance: A meta-analysis". Journal of Applied Psychology. 86 (1): pp. 80 - 92.
• Miranda, C. (2005). "Professional self-esteem: a mediating competence for innovation in pedagogical practices" (PDF). Iberoamerican Journal on Quality, Effectiveness and Change in Education 3(1).
• Olsen, J.M.; Breckler, S.J.; Wiggins, E.C. (2008). Social Psychology Alive (First Canadian ed.). Toronto: Thomson Nelson.