March 7, 2017
If a stranger were to call you beautiful, how would you react? How often are you called beautiful? In fact, how often do you feel beautiful? When Shea Glover filmed her “People React To Being Called Beautiful” video project, she went around her school complimenting friends, family, and strangers. Some people smiled and turned their heads away from the camera because hearing “beautiful” made them shy. Other people, however, responded angrily because they thought Glover was patronizing them.
As surprising as this may sound, being told we’re beautiful isn’t always enough to make us feel that way, especially when we’ve grown up our own worst critic. Confidence can take a lifetime to build up. And while confidence is one of the most important things to have, it’s also one of the hardest things to attain.
So, where can we start?
As self-absorbed as this may sound, often times complimenting yourself is what you need. Don’t spend your time telling yourself that your arms are too big or that the dress you want to wear doesn’t look good on you. Instead, spend all that energy focusing on all the different things that are unique and special about you. Do you speak multiple languages? Are you an expert braid guru? Can you do a handstand? Remember, no compliment is insignificant!
Multiple studies have shown that power poses can really improve a person’s confidence. According to Slate, standing with your hands on your hips and your head held high is enough to increase the level of power you feel, thus decreasing your stress, anxiety, and negative emotions. And if any of you are Grey’s Anatomy fans, then you’ve seen Amelia Shepherd pose like a superhero before a big surgery. Try it the next time you’re feeling down or stressed!
Do something that makes you feel powerful and excited. If there’s a kickboxing class that you’ve always wanted to take, don’t be afraid to sign up for it. Try new activities and find more things to be passionate about. Investing the time and effort in new activities can be just what you need to make you feel like the incredible woman that you are. Besides, trying things outside of your comfort zone can increase your self-confidence and add to the list of unique talents you can use to compliment yourself.
In our increasingly technological world, we often never get a break! But it’s important to put those phones, tablets, and laptops down to spend some time alone. Spending time alone takes you away from what everyone else is doing or saying. It helps you spend less time comparing yourself to others and more time appreciating things that make you happy. Not only that, but solitude helps strengthen your individuality, which is crucial to feeling confident in yourself.
You can make a list of the people who support and love you unconditionally. You can make a list of all the things about yourself that you like: your strengths, your talents, and your features. Making a list not only gives you something positive and tangible to have on the days you are feeling down, but it also forces you to look for qualities or people for which you are thankful. Once you train your mind to regularly do this, then you will become more accustomed to doing it on a regular basis. This will make you more positive and confident.
You can interpret this however you like, but just make sure you’re doing things for yourself. You can exercise, for example. This not only gets you in shape and healthier, but it also increases the level of endorphins in your body. And as the beautiful Elle Woods said in Legally Blonde, “Endorphins make people happy.” Do anything that makes you happy. Get pampered at the nail salon, buy yourself some new jewelry, or fix your hair even if you’re not going anywhere. Oftentimes, the little things have the power to brighten your mood and confidence
Laughter truly is the best medicine. According to WebMD, your body changes when you laugh. Steve Wilson, a psychologist and laugh therapist, says, “The effects of laughter and exercise are very similar.” So, enough about how it’ll give you wrinkles, ladies. Laughing boosts your heart rate and just makes you feel better. It can be incredibly helpful to learn to laugh at yourself and your mistakes. This allows you to grow and to learn to look at yourself from a more positive point of view.
Confidence is something that people have to work towards. But no matter how much work you still need to do, always remember that you are truly beautiful in more ways than one.
