My Relationship With Self Confidence

Before I sat down to write this post, I was thinking of what photos I could take that would suit the writing.

After a while of thinking, I realised that I hadn't included myself in any of the photos. This was mostly because, as you can see, i'm wearing an old hoodie, hardly any makeup and I was feeling very tired. However, this post is about self confidence, and I am not going to be a hypocrite.

Which is why you can see my makeup-less face in all it's glory above, and I don't care. My attitude towards my self has changed so much over the last month, I felt that it was appropriate to share how I feel with you all, and hope I can inspire at least one person to start loving themselves a little more.

Confidence Is A Funny Thing

My relationship with self confidence has always been a love-hate one. I've struggled with my self-esteem and confidence for as long as I can remember. I'm sure a lot of people can relate too, which is quite sad when you think about it.

Whether it was picking an outfit for an event only to not bother going because I think I look horrible and people will judge me, or constantly worrying that something I say will seem stupid or silly; trust me, i've worried about it.

However, something changed this year, and I can honestly say my confidence has completely changed too.  I can't tell you exactly what caused it, but something clicked with me and I now have a different outlook on things.

As I mentioned before, I didn't particularly want to show you my bare face on the internet, but I did and i'm not mad about it either. A year ago I wouldn't have posted this, and that shows me how much things have changed.

I have started to try to love myself more, to treat myself as I would my best friend and to not let any fears stop me from doing what I want and living how I want to live. This could be from something as little as wearing a different outfit, to going out and trying something i've been scared to do.

"Doubt Kills More Dreams Than Failure Ever Will." - Suzy Kassem

I saw this quote the other day, and it really struck a chord with me. Self doubt and self confidence normally go hand in hand, and this quote couldn't be more true. 

I used to let my self doubt take over and not take chances, which then would result in me never achieving what I wanted to. 

I now actively try and shut out the self doubt and keep on reaching my goals. There are days where that voice is a bit stronger, i'm only human, but most days I can choose to ignore it, and you can too.

I have learnt that to be confident, you have to trust yourself and your instinct. You truly know what's best for yourself and... what's the worst that could happen?

Change Is On It's Way

I'm not going to go into my fitness too much, as I have a new post all about staying fit coming on my channel very soon. However, I have made a few changes to my diet and fitness routine.

This has really helped with my confidence, and exercise helps me feel a lot more positive. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how exercise can really help with your mental health, it's been said enough now.

But, I am finally looking after myself and my body, and that's something I've personally wanted to work on for a long long time. Now that I have, I can really see the difference in my self confidence.

I'm not talking about weight or clothes sizes here; these things are different and personal to everyone. However, my own goal has been to take part in self care, and eating the way I see is best for me, staying fit the way I want to, (at home, not at a gym) - helps me take care of myself and feel much better for it.

It's Not An Easy Journey

I can't say that I am always confident everyday and never worry - I don't know many people that can say that. Being completely confident with yourself takes time and I am on this journey too. Everyone is different and everyone has different ways to achieve and feel confident, it's personal to each of us.

One things for sure though; love and look after yourself. I always imagine I am my best friend asking for advice, and I try to talk and treat myself the way I would treat them.

You are your own best friend, and you deserve to feel loved, confident and unafraid.

Let me know what you do to gain confidence and show yourself love in the comments. I'd love to read them.

Till next time angels.