10 Life Changing Strategies to Overcome Self Doubt and Become Confident

Have you ever looked at people who emanate confidence and wondered what magical recipe is required to be one of them? The truth is, confidence is a skill anybody can learn with enough dedication and practice.

Here are some practical steps you can take to build your self-confidence.

Self-Knowledge

The first step to confidence is getting to know yourself. It’s difficult to build a strong foundation within yourself without knowing what that foundation consists of. There are many wonderful ways to discover who you are and what your true potential is.

For instance, starting a diary or a journal is an inexpensive way to explore your own depths. Or, if you’re a more social person, you can try therapy or initiate deep, thought-provoking conversations with your friends.

Learning to Trust Yourself

Oftentimes, self-doubt is caused by patterns of self-sabotage where you essentially betray yourself. This can happen in the form of holding onto friendships that aren’t healthy or saying yes to plans when you actually want to say no.

The way to overcome these patterns is by gently learning to trust in your intuition, your vision, and your body’s signals as well. The more you honor yourself, the more you’ll trust your own self, which improves confidence as well.

Being More Decisive

Another important step in becoming confident is being more decisive about things in general. Figure out what your values or beliefs are; what do you like or dislike? What’s your favorite movie or favorite ice cream flavor? What are your deal-breakers in a relationship? What goals do you wish to accomplish in five years?

Once you know, it becomes easier to be more decisive about the choices you make, the things you believe in, and the boundaries you have.

Speaking With Assertiveness

Charisma is a powerful thing. When we listen to people who speak with confidence, it gives us more faith in the message they are transmitting and in their authority on it.

To speak assertively, you can try to use more decisive words and fewer filler phrases like “I don’t know,” “or something,” and “you know.” It also helps to slow down your speech so your message is more clear and coherent. Usually, when people speak very fast and rush through their words, it can convey that their message is not as important. 

Improving Your Body Language

There are many studies on psychology and body language. These subtle cues can transmit positive things like confidence and openness, or negative things like self-doubt, defensiveness, and hostility.

For instance, positive body language, like open gestures, or legs and arms that are wide open and uncrossed, are considered friendly and welcoming. Maintaining eye contact also inspires confidence. Meanwhile, crossed legs or arms convey defensiveness.

Straightening Your Posture

Straightening your back, pulling your shoulders back, and raising your chin is an easy way to immediately appear more confident. Not only does it inspire more authority to those around you, but it’s also a great way to make sure your posture is healthy.

Positive Self-Talk

All the body language and confidence books in the world won’t help much if your internal dialogue is negative. True confidence begins from within, specifically the thoughts and beliefs you hold about yourself.

One way to improve this is by observing your thoughts throughout the day, gently correcting any self-critical thoughts, and replacing them with qualities you’re proud of about yourself. Another way is to compliment yourself whenever you look in the mirror.

Being Prepared

Life is full of unpredictable moments. You can’t control everything, and it’s normal to feel anxious when you’re about to step into an unfamiliar or unpredictable situation. One way to feel safer is to prepare in advance.

Preparing might mean making notes for an upcoming presentation, checking a restaurant menu in advance for any allergies, or any other brief task that improves your peace of mind.

Challenging Yourself

Growing your skills, creativity, and resilience is an amazing way to build confidence. You can do this by challenging yourself to learn a new language, trying your hand at a new sport like Pilates or tennis, or anything else you’d be proud of accomplishing.

Just remember that it’s not about competition or proving anything, it’s about having fun and exploring your own wonderful potential.

Being in a Supportive Environment

A plant can only flourish if it’s rooted in healthy soil that supports its growth. Likewise, we can best grow as individuals when our support system—our family, friends, or partner—is healthy and makes us feel seen, appreciated, and heard. Additionally, when we’re surrounded by people who have a growth mindset, are open-minded, and are encouraging, it’s easier to maintain a confident mindset.