The coronavirus pandemic has had an adverse affect on many people around the world. We’ve all been stuck inside the same four walls for the majority of the past nine months or so, and this can greatly affect mental well being. So much so that you may have noticed a decline in your self confidence. Whether that’s due to lack of social interaction, or you’ve piled on a few pounds during lockdown, it’s time to break out of the funk! Here are some tried and tested ways of boosting your self confidence, just in time for the New Year’s resolutions!
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Improve your eating habits
If your self esteem has plummeted due to weight gain, weight loss, or even blemishes on your skin, this could be down to a change in eating habits. Being stuck at home unexpectedly for long periods of time is bound to disrupt your eating habits! Take some time to look at what you’re putting into your body to identify where you’re going wrong, and make some changes! Here are some great tips on improving your eating habits:
- Keep a food diary to look back on at the end of each week. You’ll notice where you’ve slipped up or areas you could improve, and it will also help you stay on track and focused.
- Drink more water. Quite often we mistake thirst for hunger, and this quickly leads to overeating. When you feel hungry, drink a glass of water and wait ten minutes. You’ll find that more often than not, you were thirsty rather than hungry!
- Listen to your body and the signals it’s giving you. Are you actually hungry, or are you thinking about food because society dictates that it’s a meal time. Learn what hunger signals your body gives out and only eat when you’re truly hungry. You should also stop eating when that feeling of hunger disappears. You may end up eating little and often, but this will also help prevent overeating.
- Pack as many vegetables into your diet as possible. Filling up on low calorie and nutritious foods will help reduce weight gain and promote weight loss.
Treat your problematic areas
Everyone has a part of their body they dislike. Whether it’s love handles, cellulite on the thighs and bottom, or fatty deposits above the bra line, it can really get you down and in turn, cause your self esteem to spiral downwards. Exercise and clean eating will help many of these issues, but if it’s something that’s really bothering you and you’re struggling to fix it, you may consider vaser liposuction to help remove fat and reshape your body. There are many different treatments available, all targeting common problematic areas of the body, and can be a great way to boost your self confidence! If surgery isn’t something you want to do, you can buy tools to help problematic areas such as a cellulite massaging tool, or a body wrap to help sweat off some extra pounds.
Find an exercise you love
Exercise is important, yet many people fail to get even nearly the recommended amount each week, and that’s totally understandable if you’re someone who simply doesn’t enjoy it! Forcing yourself to run on a treadmill or around the park isn’t going to last or benefit you if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing. Find an exercise you love that will inspire you to keep going. Many people choose swimming as a way to target all areas of the body without feeling like they’re actually exercising. Perhaps you could attend an aqua aerobics class with a friend, or find a sport like netball to ensure you’re getting the right amount of exercise. Working out will naturally change the shape of your body, lose unwanted weight, tone up muscles and most importantly, boost your self esteem.
Take time to improve your mental health
Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, and if you neglect yourself mentally you will struggle to see yourself in a nice way. If you feel your mental health has suffered during lockdown, or perhaps you were struggling beforehand, take some time to improve your mental health! Your first port of call should always be your Doctor, as they can recommend treatments and give advice on where to turn, but in the meantime, you can try out these tips:
- Write down your worries and anxieties. Sometimes writing them down can feel like a weight has been lifted.
- Take time to treat yourself! Run a bath, pop on a face mask, light a candle and let your troubles melt away.
- Speak to a loved one about how you’re feeling. Having someone close that you can call when you’re feeling down can really help. Here’s a great guide on how to talk to a loved one about your mental health that may help.
- Get more sleep! Lack of sleep can trigger many mental health problems and exacerbate them. Try and get your nine hours!
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Do something that makes you smile every day
With the pandemic rearing its ugly head, 2020 hasn’t been the year everyone expected it to be and for many, there hasn’t been that much to smile about. This can greatly affect your mood too! Find something that makes you smile and take the time to do it every day. Whether it’s a TV series that makes you laugh, or texting a friend that’s always got something funny to say, smiling as often as you can will help improve your overall mood.
Indulge in some new clothes
Sometimes a bout of self confidence issues come from losing your style. Perhaps you’ve fallen behind with latest trends, or simply not had the time or money to refresh your wardrobe. You might need to focus on your beauty products too, such as your perfume and make-up! These might need a switch up, such as buying a new lipstick or purchasing a pheromones perfume to really boost your confidence. Either way, treating yourself to some new clothes can make the world of difference to your self-confidence. Dress for your body shape and find yourself some new threads that you’ll be excited to show off!
Refresh your hairstyle
Much like a new outfit or shoes, refreshing your hairstyle can make you feel more confident in yourself too! If you’ve been rocking the same cut, colour and style for a while now, shake it up! Something as simple as a new colour or daring haircut will help turn heads and raise your self esteem!
Make time for yourself
If you are busy with work and a family, it’s easy to neglect yourself and do the bare minimum to keep going. Try and make more time for yourself to style your hair in the mornings, put on a little bit of makeup, and even a spritz of your favourite perfume, whether it is the one you wore on your wedding day or even a brand new bottle that you have been saving for a special occasion! Making a habit of this will leave you feeling more confident when you leave the house every day!
It’s all too easy to look in the mirror and pick out every fault you think you have, but everyone is beautiful in their own way! Try and be kinder to yourself when you look in the mirror each morning. Pick out something that you like about yourself each day and remind yourself of that as often as you can. Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and if you don’t love yourself, that will also show on the outside.
Losing your self confidence is horrible, but it’s totally possible to boost it back up again! The power is in your hands and with these tips, you can learn to love yourself again and become a new and improved, confident version of yourself!