Confidence and self esteem are things most of us wish we had more of. Some people seem incredibly confident, but the truth is that every person has their insecurities. It’s human nature to have a crisis of confidence from time to time, but it can be hugely beneficial to try and be more confident.

As a new year begins, it’s a great time to reflect on what’s really knocking your confidence, and try and find ways to make yourself feel better. 

What’s Really Knocking Your Confidence and Self Esteem?

Other people

The relationships we have with other people can have a major bearing on our confidence. Some people build us up and make us feel invincible. Others can make us feel 2-feet tall. You wouldn’t be normal if you didn’t take some comments to heart, but try not to dwell on the negative things people say.

We all have flaws, and unfortunately, some people use words to hurt us or make us feel vulnerable. Surround yourself with people who make you feel loved, and try and forget about the ones who bring you down. Sometimes, it can take time to find your real friends, but you’ll get there eventually.

Your looks

Hands up if you’ve ever had one of those days when you stand by the mirror working your way through a hundred different outfits, and you feel like nothing looks good? Almost every person in the world has days when they don’t feel like they look great. In today’s society, we pay more attention to our image than ever before, and this can make us over critical.

One bad photo, and it’s enough to question our appearance for the rest of the day.

If you don’t feel confident about your looks, ask yourself why. Do you have specific issues – like weight – that are getting you down? Are you conscious about the shape or size of your nose? Or are you simply being a bit too hard on yourself? We’re not all supermodels and we don’t all have a glam squad on hand to help us create the selfie mere mortals could only dream of.

But is it really that important that you look incredible on Instagram? If you have deep-seated confidence issues, of course, it’s beneficial to address them. But it’s also really helpful to be kinder to yourself. If you hate your nose, for example, may wish to consider getting in touch with doctors at places like The Rhinoplasty Center  – but make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. You should never feel pressured to do something you don’t want to.

Your expectations

When you’re young, you tend to make plans for the rest of your life. You’ll be married at 25, buy a house, land your dream job, and have a family by the time you’re 30. It’s good to have an idea of how you want your life to pan out, but don’t beat yourself up if things don’t fall into place as you expected. Sometimes, it takes longer to hit your goals, but this doesn’t mean that you’re a failure. Make sure you have realistic expectations. If you expect too much of yourself, this will affect your self-esteem.

If you struggle with confidence issues, try and pinpoint the cause. Be rational, have some perspective, and don’t be too hard on yourself.

This ‘Self Esteem’ post was contributed to The Lady-like Leopard.