Everyone has experienced low- self confidence at some stage or another, whether its a shattering life changing event or even small stumbling blocks that build over time and seem impossible to overcome.

If you can relate to this now, the first step is not to panic, its totally normal and something every human will go through. We've got 5 powerful tools that could help boost your self-confidence and detach from negative thinking patterns.

1. Know What You're Good At

Our self-confidence grows when we have a chance to demonstrate our ability and make achievements in the parts of our lives that we value and find meaningful.

To boost your self-confidence, you need to sit down (with a cup of tea preferably!) and write down those areas you are good in. To help kickstart your brain storm, these can be your:

- Core talents

- Skills 

- Things you love doing that make you feel good

However, you don't need to aim for perfection, as this might exacerbate feelings of self-doubt but once you have made that list, make a little plan of how you bring these into your everyday live and turn those daunting to do tasks into ones you know you can own! 

2. Work On Your Body Language and Image

Our body language and image have a massive effect on how we feel and how we behave, as well as how other people perceive us. 

A good posture and a smile, while making direct eye contact and talking slowly is how we envision a self-confident person, so try to bring yourself closer to this image.

When you look good, you feel good! This can be really empowering, even own the days when you don't feel so great- ever heard of fake it till you make it?! Wearing outfits you feel fab in will give you boldness and confidence, and even adopt some of the characteristics of that outfit. Scientists have even given a name to this phenomenon; it's called "enclothed cognition".

3. Take Care of Your Body

You can hardly boost your self-confidence if you're feeling unwell, so try to give your body the treatment it deserves. 

You may not see it that way, but if you're eating an unhealthy diet, skimping on your sleep and exercise, you're not prioritising your mind and body, and this kind of behaviour takes its toll on both your physical and your mental wellbeing.

Try to take the steps in the right direction, and don't be too hard on yourself if you don't succeed at the first shot.

Ditching junk and highly processed food, as well as sugary drinks, will do just fine for the beginning. Starting with a healthy juice each morning is a great way to start the day as you mean to go on and love your body the second you wake up. 

Regular physical activity will not only make you fit and healthier, but it will also improve your body image and do wonders for your self-confidence.

4. Ditch the Negative Self Talk

People with low self-confidence have a rigorous inner critic, that is judging their every move, and always nagging. The result is negative self-talk that can have many toxic effects, makes you feel helpless, and reduces your motivation.

If and when you catch yourself being negative towards your capabilities, ask yourself whether what your inner critic is saying is the truth or merely an exaggeration. 

Instead of calling it quits whenever "I can't" pops into your mind, stick with it and push yourself further until you've turned it into "How can I?". This is the point when changes begin to happen.

5. Don't Compare Yourself to Others

We often compare our skills, wealth, achievements, career or physical attributes to those of our friends and acquaintances. However, comparing ourselves to others invokes envy, and makes us feel bad about ourselves, eroding our self-confidence. Try to determine the situations when you start comparing yourself to others and try to avoid them.

Nowadays, when each one of us has at least one social media account, we easily fall into the trap of believing other people lead more fascinating lives or are better than us, according to their posts on Facebook or Instagram.

Try to remember that what you're seeing is just their social media presence (a highlight of their lives!) and that you don't really know what's going on in their lives, behind all that glamour.

Conclusion 

Developing self-confidence can feel challenging, but it's worth every effort so stick with it. If you've made it this far it means you've already started putting yourself first and you're aware of the thoughts creeping in and ready to change that negativity into positive, empowered, can do thoughts!