Originally published on patch.com
Issues relating to self-esteem aren't exclusively reserved for children and teens. Many adults struggle to find self-confidence, as well. It's nothing to be ashamed of; if you're an adult who has low self-confidence, you're not alone. Luckily, there are proven steps you can take to build your self-esteem. In this article, certified life coach Keith Orie discusses four excellent tips for living a more confident, self-assured life.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
You may have heard this age-old expression before, but it's essential to be reminded that your comfort zone could be contributing to your lowered sense of self-worth. By putting yourself in uncomfortable situations, you grow. By staying centered in places, relationships, and conditions familiar to you, you don't have the chance to actively prove to yourself that you can achieve your dreams.
Getting out of your comfort zone doesn't mean leaving behind your entire life and jetting off to some foreign place. It means taking incremental steps to break parts of your routine that don't contribute to productive habits that produce growth.
Challenge Negative Thinking
Challenging negative thinking isn't easy. Negative thoughts are your thoughts, after all, so why shouldn't you trust them? To put it simply: they're just not true. This might feel a little bit awkward at first, policing your own mind, but once you get better at identifying negative thought patterns, it will be easier to combat them.
Test the accuracy of your thoughts. Evaluate whether or not they are consistent with facts and logic. In many cases, you'll likely find that they are not. As adults, we are usually much harder on ourselves than we should be and fail to see the bigger picture of our lives.
Dedicate Yourself to Positive Thinking
Once you become practiced in identifying and rejecting negative thinking, it's time to start implementing more positive thought processes. Use hopeful statements that encourage positivity, even if you don't entirely believe them at first. Whatever we tell ourselves most consistently ends up being the truth in our lives.
Remember to forgive yourself. We're all human; we're all imperfect. You've made mistakes; you've wasted time; you've missed opportunities. And that's okay! It's all a part of your process. No one walks through life without some form of failure. Use these failures as opportunities to learn, and transform them into a means of growth moving forward.
Self-Care
Self-care brings everything together. Exercise for at least 30 minutes per day, eat a healthy diet, maintain your hygiene, and get out of bed early. It's incredible how quickly a healthy lifestyle can work to transform your self-image.
Do things you enjoy. If you feel like you don't have any hobbies, it's time to find some. Seek time with people that make you happy. Wasting time on people who don't treat you well will only drain your precious energy; cut them out!
If you suffer from low self-esteem as an adult, you're not alone. Through pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, combating negative thinking, committing to positive thinking, and practicing proper self-care, you can find that confidence that has always been within you!