Confidence Boost: 7 Tips to Uplift Yourself When You’re Feeling Down

We all have those days when we’re feeling down about ourselves and our confidence is lower than usual.  It can be difficult to lift ourselves back up, especially when we’ve experienced a change that has impacted us.  I’ve been experiencing days like this recently.  I’ve gained weight and it’s been harder to love my new body.  I’ve been self-conscious about my pictures and I haven’t felt like myself.

It’s always hard when we’re feeling this way.  Those feelings can last for more than a few days and really weigh us down.  That is what was happening to me, and it got me wondering how we go about building ourselves back up.  I started reflecting on what I was doing to lift my own spirits.  I also wrote an Instagram post asking our community their thoughts too.  You will see their comments throughout this post.  Using that feedback and my own strategies, I compiled a list of 7 real life tips that you can use to give yourself a confidence boost.  Keep reading for ideas you can implement that will help you get out of your rut and put some shine back into your day! 🌞

1. Give Yourself Grace

The first thing I remind myself of is that what I’m feeling is normal and that it’s ok to have days where I’m not 100% confident.  I don’t want to beat myself up for being human, so I give myself the grace to feel what I’m feeling and not make myself wrong for it.  That may mean sulking for a day or two, because that’s what my spirit needs at that moment.  I don’t let it last too long though.  Once I give myself the space to just be, then it’s time to raise myself back up.

2. Get Quiet and Journal

I’ve noticed that when I’m overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions, the best thing I can do for myself is to jot it all down.  It gets my energy out and helps me feel more at ease.  It’s important that I do this in a quiet space, free of distractions, so I can really hear myself.  Sometimes I’ll make a list of what is making me feel less confident, and dive in deeper on those areas.  Other times I’ll just do a free-write brain dump.  It helps to clear my mind and I often feel lighter afterwards.

“I turn off social media, put my work to the side, and enjoy some me time.”

-Lou, Product Review Mom

3. Put the Confidence Killers on Pause

Figure out who or what it is that is impacting your confidence.  Is it another person, something you’re watching or listening to, or even your own thoughts?  Whatever it is, take a step back and press pause on engaging in that activity or being around that person.  You may not even realize someone or something is sucking your energy until you take a break from it.  Dig deep and take a survey of your regular routine to figure out when these feelings are coming up most often, then make a change and see how you feel.  That could be the key to what you need to feel like yourself again!

4. Focus on Your Strengths

When you’re not loving something about yourself, it helps to combat that by focusing on what you’re good at.  What do you love about yourself still?  What do you feel confident about?  For me, I was becoming very self-conscious about my weight, but I knew that I still loved my hair, my smile, and my personality.  Giving myself these reminders was a helpful distraction that I could use when I was too worried about what I didn’t like.  Plus, it brought me back to being kind to myself and remembering that I have so many other amazing qualities!

“…When I’m not feeling too confident I stare at myself in the mirror (for a few minutes) and say nice things about myself.  I usually walk away with at least 1 positive thing and that’s better than what I started.”

-Sandra, @drsan_b

5. Do Something that Makes You Happy

This one seems really simple and makes we wanna say, “duh”, but when I was stuck in my rut it felt like I had forgotten.  I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t remember that something as easy as playing my favorite songs is almost always a guaranteed mood changer.  I have always been a music lover, so all I had to do was put on a good playlist, like this one I’m creating, and start dancing out my troubles.  It worked, and I felt a lot better!

“Everyone goes through those days and it’s really important to have self-support to get the confidence in yourself.  I love talking to my family and some of my close friends.  So I just try to hang out with them and shopping is one thing that makes me really happy.  So even if I am alone, I go and shop.”

-Avantika, @blushwithavi

6. Surround Yourself with Inspiration

When you’re not feeling your brightest, it’s important to supplement those good vibe feelings from outside sources.  For me, inspiration can be found in many forms – beautiful images, wise words, and motivational podcasts to name a few.  It’s important to me that I manage the input I receive on a regular basis and make sure that the majority is positive.  What I see, listen to, and talk about needs to be uplifting if I’m going to get my groove back.

“I have an album in my photo gallery on my phone.  When I’m not feeling confident, I flip through this album of me feeling myself, smiling, and happy at different moments in the year.  This helps me accept that this is a moment.  God made me beautiful and I need to snap out of it!”

-RaSheeda, Simply Chic 365

7. Call on Your Friends

If you can’t get your own mood back up, then call on your friends who can.  I love spending time with my gal pals, and they are the perfect people to get me laughing, listen to my venting, and offer me new perspectives.  They also know just the things that will cheer me up – eating ice cream, having a dance party, and giving ourselves a colorful photoshoot!

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Share your thoughts:

• What do you do to give yourself a confidence boost?

Let’s build this confident community together!  Follow me on Instagram and make sure to say hi. 👋🏽