Written by Grace Cho
“You need to be more confident.” We hear these words everywhere. From our parents, teachers, and even our friends. If you ask yourself, “Am I confident?”, what will you respond with? Most likely it’ll be some form of a “no.” Just the concept of self-confidence seems daunting and unapproachable. Sometimes, it seems like if you have confidence, you’re egotistical and too prideful. Other times, you seem weak and vulnerable. Confidence has the potential to change your whole attitude, personality, and the way you are perceived by others. In fact, it holds so much power in your life that it can actually affect your own mental health.
One university in Vietnam studies the correlation between students with lower self-esteem and detrimental effects such as increase in “anxiety, depression and academic stress” (Nguyen et al.). Especially to students, this can be quite harmful in many ways. In fact, the research has presented that this will signifcantly affect a “students’ quality of life”, even being linked to “suicidal ideation”.
Although the idea of confidence doesn’t seem so important, just like the study has shown, it can easily lead to changes in your mental health—which can result in dangerous outcomes. Confidence and raising your self-esteem will help provide you with a healthier lifestyle, and will ultimately benefit you in the long run.
However, becoming confident and building self-confidence may not be as easy as it seems. To many, it’s quite difficult. And it’s understandable. Confidence won’t just come to you within a day. It is a long-term process. It needs to be built upon, like Jenga blocks, to the point where you’re sure you won’t topple and fall over. It’s not an easy ride, that’s for sure. Many make it seem like building confidence can be done in a day. “Just be confident!” is something we all hear time to time. Yet to be realistic, it’s not true. You can’t become a better version of yourself in just a day. It takes days, months, and even years. It requires plans, reassurance, and taking baby steps. There will always be times when you feel insecure, but knowing that you are the bigger person within yourself can always pull you out of a slump.
Without further ado then, here are some important tips for becoming confident:
Be kind to yourself.
Think positively.
Breathe Deeply.
Surround yourself with a positive influence.
Fake it till you make it.
These are just a few of the many pieces of advice that you should consider. There are so many resources that are able to help you even further, some a search away online. You are not alone in this journey. So lift your chin up, straighten your back–– you got this.
Nguyen, Dat Tan, et al. “Low Self-Esteem and Its Association with Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation in Vietnamese Secondary School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.” Frontiers in Psychiatry, vol. 10, Sept. 2019, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00698.
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