3 ways to boost your self-confidence in less than 5 minutes
There is no deep insight that your therapist can give you that will suddenly boost your self-esteem
There is no secret mantra to unlock your inner value
No one is perfect enough to "complete" you and make you feel complete
Anything that helps you feel better temporarily will not make much difference to your mood in the long run.
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And here's why.
Self-esteem is a belief, not a feeling.
Feelings come and go quickly, but beliefs are formed over time. If you have learned since childhood that you are not good enough or that you are not loved, this will not change overnight. But with the right approach, you can change even the most basic beliefs about yourself, including your self-esteem...
If you want new beliefs, you need new habits.
If you want to feel better and believe in yourself more, especially in the long run, you need to consistently do things you can be proud of that reinforce that belief.
But to do them consistently, it helps to start with very small actionable steps and not procrastinate. Hence the title of this article:
3 ways to boost your self-confidence in under 5 minutes
If you can do it for 5 minutes, you can do it every day. And if you can do it every day, over time it can become a habit and change your beliefs, including your beliefs about yourself.
Here are 3 small things you can do in less than 5 minutes. If you do them consistently, your self-esteem will increase.
- Keep a gratitude journal
People with low self-esteem tend to think negatively about themselves.
They are good at recognizing their shortcomings and weaknesses, but underestimate their achievements and strengths.
An easy way to correct this negative bias is to keep a gratitude journal every day. This means taking a few minutes each day to think about and write down what you admire, appreciate or otherwise appreciate about yourself.
It is important to be as specific as possible.
I took time on my lunch break to call my girlfriend back and talk about her struggles with the divorce. I became good friends. I am good at being friendly even when I am not feeling well. For example, this morning I didn't sleep well and felt very sick, but I still smiled at the waitress in the café and asked her how her morning was in a friendly and genuine way.
In addition to being specific about what you are grateful for in yourself, be specific about when, where and how you practice gratitude each day.
Every morning right before I start work I do a gratitude exercise at my desk.
Every night after I put the kids to bed, but before that, I do gratitude exercises.
Finally, I cannot emphasize this enough:
keep it simple.
You can write about the things you admire about yourself. That's all. Spending a minute every day thanking yourself is much better than procrastinating for half an hour every day because it is too inconvenient.
By getting into the habit of remembering the positive things you have done, you can reduce your negative prejudices and expose yourself to many positive and valuable things.