At a time when we are more concerned than ever before with looking good and as youthful as possible, it can be easy to become influenced by what we see on social media in terms of living up to modern day ideals of beauty. More people than ever before are seeking teeth whitening treatments in Turkey or regularly booking Botox in London, for example. While looking like your favorite international celebrity is one thing, the true reasoning behind confidence and happiness comes from within and is far more about what you think and feel about yourself.
Building self-esteem can be a challenge but should be something that we make a priority in a bid to combat the wide range of social problems we are facing today with more and more people taking drastic action to make themselves feel better through physical changes alone. While your body will age, keeping your mind confident becomes the greatest asset we have, which is why embracing your imperfections is so valuable to your overall wellbeing.
- Stop criticizing yourself
One of the biggest hurdles to overcome is that of being able to handle our own inner critic. The things that your inner critic focuses on and tells you is what ultimately leads to you having a lowered self-esteem and more likely to do things simply to gain acceptance. Through creating a stop phrase and getting out of the cycle of putting yourself down you will soon find that your thoughts are far quieter and you will be more confident as a result.
- Be healthier in your methods of motivation
As a society we seem to have lost track of what it means to be motivated in a healthy way – a way that is not fuelled by what we see on social media. When you feel like you are lacking in confidence or are finding it hard to keep eating a healthier or exercising more, remind yourself why you are doing what you are doing and the benefits you will reap as a result of doing so. This will allow you to gain more focus and your inner critic will be silenced that little bit more.
- Appreciate yourself regularly
It’s easy to get yourself into a negative mind-set after a hard day at work but become extremely difficult to crawl out from, which can hinder you from feeling content and happy about yourself on a day to day basis. Something that you can do to get yourself out of feeling down and less positive is to take a two minute self-appreciation break and tell yourself 3 things about you as a person that you value. It can be as small as the fact that you are kind and helpful person. Doing this on a regular basis will allow you to put into perspective the things that are great about you on a deeper level than simply looking at your appearance, for example.
- Make gratitude part of your attitude
You may have already heard about the phenomenon that is taking over the internet at the moment and that is the power of gratitude and how it can be significant in improving your life. Through taking the time to take five minutes out of your day and think about three things that you are grateful for in your life and about yourself, you will find that you will find it easier to have a more motivated approach to life and thus feel happier.
- Do what’s right
Simply put, doing what is right for you is always going to be something that we as individuals should focus on. Whether that means getting up from the sofa and heading to the gym or stopping feeling sorry for yourself and getting motivated to make the most of a situation that you have, taking steps to improve your wellbeing and happiness is the ultimate mood enhancer and will make you feel that much more confident in yourself and your abilities.