How to Boost Your Confidence

It is amazing to have the self-confidence that enables you to have a positive light about your life, surpass any obstacle, and face your fears head-on. Such confidence can be admirable and inspirational to others. However, you may have low self-confidence that lowers the quality of your life. Low self-confidence can be improved through nourishment and training. A therapist or a psychologist can also help you gain your confidence through several psychological approaches. Dr. Alexander Alvarado, Psy.D., a licensed clinical psychologist, leads an outstanding team of experts at the Thriving Center of Psychology. He is ready to help you achieve the self-confidence you deserve.

Self-confidence is important to the overall quality of your life. This is because if you can’t believe in yourself, others can’t. But remember, all is not lost – there is hope. You can begin by understanding some of the things that can cause low self-confidence. In general, repeated critical thoughts which cause negative self-talk, definitely lowers your self-esteem. They may be as a result of childhood experiences such as bullying, harsh critiques, or discouraging adult experiences, to name a few.

Tips on raising your confidence

The key to building your confidence is persistence and learning how you can succeed in having positive thoughts. Fortunately, here are some of the tips that can help you.

Not comparing yourself to others: Be it your look, income, or other achievements, comparing yourself to others is not healthy. You should accept who you are and understand that you are unique.

Know your weaknesses and strengths: It could be good if you knew what you are good at and what you are not. Remember that you can’t be good at everything and therefore it would be necessary to focus on what you are good at.

Practice self-compassion: When you make a mistake, it would be good to treat yourself with kindness. It can motivate you to do better next time.

Surround yourself with kind and supportive people: Let’s say that you have a brand-new bathing suit that you want to show off on your beach trip with your best friends, but you’re having second thoughts about wearing it because you’re not confident enough. You know you have genuine friends in your corner if they hype you up instead of judging what you wear and how you look.

Perform behavioral experiments: Our minds and thoughts are not always accurate. Understanding this, you can be able to beat some negative thoughts or feelings. For example, when your brain says you can’t, challenge it, and proceed to do whatever you want. With time you will be able to have a different point of view.

When to see a therapist

Suffering with low self-esteem can cause an increased risk for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, and other conditions. You should see a therapist to reduce such risks, and a self-confidence specialist can help you achieve your goals and improve your quality of life.

At Thriving Center of Psychology, the team is caring and compassionate and can help you achieve a positive view of yourself through a psychological approach. An initial evaluation is necessary as it determines the best treatment plan based on your needs. Your treatment can include:

•   Psychotherapy (talk therapy)
•   Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
•   Neurofeedback (electroencephalographic or EEG biofeedback)
•   Group therapy

Boosting your confidence is not an overnight achievement. You can consistently apply several tips in your day to day life that can improve your confidence. A single tip alone can’t do much, but a combination can give you excellent results. Moreover, having a therapist or a psychologist help you is even better as it can reduce other risks associated with poor self-confidence.