How to Gain the Self-Confidence to Deal With Daily Life

It is unlikely that anyone is a stranger to lacking self-confidence at one point or another. We all have our ups and downs in life, but for some, there is a real struggle for some to bounce back from their downfalls. Sometimes the cause is environmental, and other times, it may be more in-depth, such as in the case of a psychological disorder that requires treatment. There are positive changes you can make in your life every day to start building the self-confidence you’ve lacked, or perhaps lost, over the years.

The following, per Teens Health, are just a few ways to tackle your self-esteem issues:

• Resist spending time thinking about your past failures or shortcomings.
• Set realistic goals that you can attain; you will never achieve perfection.
• Take every mistake in stride as a lesson to be learned instead of viewing it as a failure.
• Let go of the things you cannot change.
• Participate in activities that make you feel good about yourself, like helping a friend or volunteer work.
• Don’t be afraid to try new things — that’s not how you find out what you’re bad at; it’s how you find out what you’re good at.
• Speak up! Express your ideas to peers and superiors; many of them are going to be valuable.
• Get active; exercise is a fantastic way to boost feel-good chemicals like serotonin that make you more likely to open up and engage with others.

Why So Down?

The above guidelines are a great place to start to increase your self-confidence, which will likely force you to become a little more comfortable with social interaction, and for good reason. One study published in the Malaysian Journal of Psychiatry shows that self-esteem was higher in participants who were more open and exhibiting extrovert-type personalities, as well as emotional stability and conscientiousness.

Another reason many young adults today are having a tough time maintaining confidence in themselves is because no one else seems to. All too often, older generations are pushing youths even harder to rise to the occasion like they seemingly did, and watching them fail with looks of disappointment on their faces, implying that today’s youths will never measure up to the generations of yesteryear.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation points out the depths of misunderstanding that are at work between varying generations, covering everything from the current youths’ increased acceptance of other races at 47 percent in comparison to 19 percent of prior generations, to their 41 percent satisfaction with the current state of our nation, versus 26 percent of those over the age of 30. The media and society naturally tend to gravitate toward negative outlooks on every topic, and sometimes this can lead to a lot of bad press for an entire demographic, not just you alone. The point is, today’s young adults are evolving.

Chin Up

Optimum Performance Institute offers a wide variety of treatment programs for young adults. Our facility takes inpatient therapy to a whole new level. We understand how important it is to get to know our patients, and we render treatment to the entire person, not just the diagnosis they’re entering our doors with. What other rehabilitation centers are lacking, we make up for tenfold. Call us today to discuss the many ways we can help you to lift your head higher.