SELF-CONFIDENCE // Hacks I Learnt Last Year

I've written a fair few posts on self-confidence in the past from the point of view of someone who's still very much on their journey to actually being self-confident. Last year my confidence took a fair beating, but along with that came some newfound lessons on rebuilding and maintaining it. I still wouldn't necessarily describe myself as confident, but I'm certainly more sure of myself than I have been in the past so I thought I'd share some of the lessons I've learnt.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GOOD PEOPLE // Sometimes it can actually be quite difficult to work out which people make you feel good about yourself and build you up versus who doesn't and 'good people' can be subjective. For me, last year I found myself some genuinely lovely, non-judgmental positive people to surround myself with and it's been so refreshing. Finding people who build me up and who genuinely like me for me has done me the world of good.

DON'T RELY ON ONLINE VALIDATION // I won't lie, seeing the likes shoot up on one of my Instagram photos makes me feel pretty good and there's nothing wrong with that as long as I can stay chirpy when one doesn't do so well too. Sure, it's nice that people on the internet might like what I'm wearing, but it's not the be all and and all and it's definitely not something we should be relying on to make ourselves feel good. At the end of the day I only take Instagram photos of outfits I really like so if I feel good in it the fact it hasn't hit 100 likes on Instagram shouldn't phase me.

TRUST YOUR OWN INSTINCTS // I'm the first person to ask for others' opinions when I have a decision to make or when I've had an idea. While it's obviously great to get advice and guidance, sometimes you have to fight against other people's opinions if your gut instinct is telling you they're wrong. Believe in yourself and when it pays off your confidence will soar.

FIND YOUR LITTLE BOOSTS // There are some very small unimportant-seeming things that can give your self-confidence a quick boost. Everyone's will be different; for me it's wearing a good outfit, having a quick gym session or painting my nails, among other things.

How do you improve your self-confidence?

Amy x