Blog Posts

Hey friends, welcome back to the blog.  Today I am going to talk about self-confidence.  In a couple previous posts I discussed self-worth and self-esteem.  Confidence is the feeling of belief or trust that a person or thing is reliable. Self-confidence is trust in oneself. Self-confidence involves a positive belief that one can generally accomplish what one wishes to do in the future.

This is a theme that comes up in therapy where people often come into therapy with some level of either low self worth, low self esteem or feeling like they don’t have enough self confidence or self trust.  

Without self-confidence, individuals may experience heightened risks of depression and anxiety, struggle with poor decision-making and procrastination, face strained relationships due to self-doubt and difficulty asserting needs, and miss opportunities for personal and career growth by avoiding challenges. This lack of self-belief can also manifest in negative self-talk, leading to a cycle of self-criticism, social isolation, and even increased risk of substance use or unhealthy coping mechanisms.  

Self-confidence is an attitude about your skills and abilities. It means you accept and trust yourself and have a sense of control in your life. You know your strengths and weakness well, and have a positive view of yourself. You set realistic expectations and goals, communicate assertively, and can handle criticism.  Understanding self-confidence helps you improve resilience, mental health, relationships, and career success by enabling you to embrace challenges, overcome self-doubt and anxiety, set and achieve goals, and communicate more effectively.  Self-confidence can include: 

• A Belief in Your Abilities: It’s the trust you have in your own skills to handle situations and achieve what you set out to do. 
• A Foundation for Action: Confidence encourages you to take risks and pursue opportunities, as a lack of it can lead to crippling doubt. 
• Different from Self-Esteem: While related, self-esteem is your general sense of worth and value, whereas self-confidence is a more specific trust in your capacity to perform.

How to Build Self-Confidence: 

• Be Kind to Yourself: Treat yourself with compassion when you experience setbacks, rather than self-criticism. 
• Practice Positive Self-Talk: Replace negative thoughts with optimistic and encouraging ones to shift your mindset. 
• Set Achievable Goals: Break down large goals into smaller, manageable steps to build a sense of accomplishment. 
• Embrace Your Strengths: Recognize and focus on your positive attributes and past successes to reinforce your capabilities. 
• Face Your Fears: Gradually take on tasks or situations that make you uncomfortable to prove to yourself that you can handle them. 
• Surround Yourself with Positivity: Seek out people who are supportive and uplifting, as their positivity can rub off on you. 
• Learn from Failure: View failures as learning opportunities rather than definitive proof of your inadequacy.

In summary, self-confidence offers a wide range of benefits, including improved resilience, better mental and physical health, enhanced social relationships, and greater professional success. Confident individuals are more motivated, better at making decisions, and more likely to pursue goals, take smart risks, and overcome challenges, while also experiencing less anxiety and self-doubt.  

Follow along on our social media this month for self-care tips.Thanks for reading, until next time.

Emilie Barragan, LCSW 

Therapeuo Health – “Tackling physical and emotional pain”