Confidence and me

Define confidence

Confidence is having the ability to believe in your own capabilities.

Confidence is where you believe in yourself, you have self-confidence. You are secure in who you are, your values, ideas and trust that you can succeed.

Why is being confident so important?

The more confident you become, the quieter the voice inside you says, 'I can't do it.' This is so important as you become more likely to take risks, try something new and not fear failure.

Confidence helps you replace fear, anxiety and self-doubt with the self-confidence to know that you can handle any setback, obstacle or challenge. You also have greater self-worth and therefore value your capabilities and are proud of who you are and what you bring to any situation. Being confident helps you navigate through life and can lead to a happier and more successful life.

How can I boost my confidence?

1. Celebrate your accomplishments, no matter how big or small.
2. Stop comparing yourself to others and focus on yourself, your goals and your needs.
3. Take risks - jump out of your comfort zone. Try and learn new things or new skills.
4. Practice self-compassion - be kind to yourself. If you fail, do not speak to yourself so harshly as this will not motivate you. Talk to yourself how you would talk to a friend.
5. Help someone in need. By relieving their stress, we can relieve our own. Also helping others releases hormones such as serotonin which make us feel good.

How do you build self-confidence in a child?

1. Practice positive self-talk with them - Support your child with positive affirmations. Get them to confirm the great things about themselves, even if it is one thing in the morning or one thing before bed. You can get them to stand infront of the mirror and repeat positive statements. Try and encourage them to come up with their own.
2. Give them tasks and responsibilities around the house. Make sure these tasks are age appropriate but by giving them responsibilities or a 'special' task makes them feel competent and will give them a confidence boost.
3. Allow your child to lead play time. Allow them to initiate an activity or action and really show that you enjoy their choice. This will make the child feel valued.
4. Help them overcome the fear of failure. Assure them that making mistakes and failure are a normal part of life and offer the opportunity to learn. Everyone makes mistakes and these setbacks, obstacles, 'marvellous mistakes' can lead to success!
5. Help them find their passions and interests. If a child finds a something that they enjoy and are skilled at, this will help them gain confidence in their capabilities and in themselves.