Self esteem and self confidence are inextricably linked.
And both are easily dented. A casual comment here, a flippant remark there, even just a glance that may or may not have something behind it – it probably doesn’t, but our minds read things into the most unlikely things. Ask anyone who’s ever read a horoscope.
So how can you build your self esteem and protect it more?
What needs to happen to grow your own personal force field to protect you?
1. Smile more often
Smiling is infectious.
Which means that if you’re smiling more often, chances are the people around you will smile more too.
If you don’t believe me, try it somewhere safe like a supermarket or even a shopping mall.
You don’t have to be grinning like a Cheshire cat – just a smiley happy face.
2. Photoshop yourself
Not something any of us could have done a few years ago but now it’s almost standard for teenagers to enhance how they look on social media sites.
There’s nothing stopping us from doing it either.
Because our self image is related to how we think we look to other people. So if you augment your picture, gradually your mind will come round to the idea that you really are better than you look.
Sure, you can’t fool anyone for long with this approach – they’ll see the real you as soon as they meet you – but if you can trick your mind often enough it will help turn round how you think about yourself.
3. Dress smarter
That doesn’t mean going out and buying a whole new wardrobe – it could be as simple as running an iron over some of your clothes before you put them on or taking a few seconds to figure out whether what you’re wearing clashes or complements things.
Dress for success is almost a cliche but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.
Try it for yourself – dress smarter for the next week and notice how people look at you differently and treat you differently.
4. Use positive affirmations
I use these all the time:
They flash up almost imperceptibly on my computer screen
They’re on vision boards (or in my case actually just a print out of images and words I’ve chosen)
I say them out loud on a regular basis
Affirmations help train your mind to think more positively more often.
5. Practice gratitude
Being grateful more often is a habit you should get into.
It can be something simple like saying “thank you” more often.
But the more you’re grateful for things, the more good things will come back into your life because the universe acts almost as a mirror for our thoughts.
And while you’re doing that, look upwards more often because that will help lift your mood and the better your mood, the better other people will treat you. Which will help to boost your confidence and self esteem because compliments almost always do that to us.
7. Hypnotise yourself
We all hypnotise ourselves on a regular basis – if you’ve ever day dreamed, you’ve hypnotised yourself.
The only real difference with self hypnosis tracks is that they’re more deliberate – you make a conscious decision to listen to a self confidence hypnosis track.
It’s about half an hour of “you” time and during that time the hypnotic recording will help shift your self confidence and self esteem for the better.
Treat yourself to a hypnosis track and notice the almost immediate improvement that most people find.
