Consider the following then, and contemplate how they might impinge on your life. To ensure you start feeling better about yourself, you might want to follow our suggestions when moving forward.
#1: Binging on social media
There's nothing inherently wrong with social media, but you do need to take care. Many of us scroll through the social media posts on our walls and become jealous of what we see. We assume other people have better lives than we do because of the exciting updates they have posted. We look at photos of others and react badly because we don't look as glamorous as they do. In so many ways, we might think our lives fall short in comparison, and that can derail our self-esteem.
But here's the thing about much of social media. It's fake reality. Many people post the best of themselves, in terms of both their status updates and in their Insta-worthy photos. We don't get to hear about the rubbish in their lives. We don't see what they look like first thing in the morning, or when they aren't dolled up for a night out on the town. What we get to see is filtered, so we should never assume others are better or happier than we are. But even if they do have exciting lives and pretty faces, we shouldn't let that affect us unduly. We might offer gratitude for what we do have in life instead of bemoaning it, and we might also do something in our lives, so we don't feel as if we poorly compare to others. Think about these things if you're relating to what we are saying here, and then consider reducing your time on social media, so you can live your own life instead of comparing yourself, perhaps unnecessarily, to others.
#2: Cosmetic and bodily differences
Following on from the above, many of us feel our beauty is tainted by the cosmetic differences to our face and body. We might feel embarrassed about having to wear glasses or hearing aids, for example, and might consequently skip social events because we don't want to appear 'different' to others. The same applies to issues with our body weight, or with any problems affecting our skin. We look in the mirror, dislike what we see, and continuing from the last point, compare ourselves unfavourably to other people. We view ourselves through the lens of others and look down at ourselves because we think others will do the same. As a result, our self-confidence can plummet.
Here's the thing about every one of us. We aren't perfect. Sure, there will be some facial or bodily 'issue' we have to contend with, but then so does everybody. We need to do two things then. The first is come to a level of self-acceptance, being grateful about the best parts of how we look, despite our less flattering features. By loving ourselves, warts and all, we might lift our self-esteem and care less about what others think of us. Secondly, we could do something about the way we look. If we have sight difficulties, for example, we could opt for contact lenses or more fashionable pairs of glasses. If we have difficulty hearing, we might opt for the best hearing aids which are virtually invisible. We could also do something about our body weight if there are genuine and not perceived issues, and we could also do more to care for our skin. Even the smallest lifestyle and cosmetic changes could improve the way we feel.
And so…
We have only touched upon a couple of confidence-zappers, but there may well be more in your life. Think about them, reflect on what you could do to turn them around, and then take steps to eliminate them from your life. You deserve to have high self-esteem, so take care of yourself today, be grateful for who you are, and find ways to lift your self-confidence.
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