No human is immune from occasional bouts of insecurity. Some people suffer through these insecurities more often than others and they occur with varying levels of severity. Ideally, everyone would be able to afford therapy, but you might have to try improving yourself since therapy is not always an option. Here are five self-care tips to help you turn your common insecurities into confidence boosters that will change your life.
1. Weight
One of the most common insecurities that people in the developed world face has to do with the waistline. Even people who are at a healthy weight often think they need to lose a few pounds. However, it is important to remember that your primary concern should be remaining healthy, not being skinny. Dr Amy Lee and others in her field have spent years helping people stay healthy. A few simple things you can do to keep your body healthy are to cut out sugar wherever possible, cut out carbohydrates when you are not working out, and walk more to get your exercise in.
2. Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is only becoming more common as the way people communicate evolves to be increasingly critical of one another. Outside of therapy, one of the best ways to deal with social anxiety is by taking things slow. If possible, do not force yourself into demanding social situations. Instead, work your way up. Start by greeting someone unfamiliar, then try progressing into small talk. Sometimes, even taking a deep breath can do wonders to clear your mind and reduce your heart rate enough for you to exist in social situations you could not handle otherwise.
3. Appearance
In a similar vein to weight insecurity, many people are insecure about their general appearance outside of their weight. The harsh truth is that there are certain aspects about yourself that will never change. For example, if you are on the shorter side, you will never be taller. The first step toward diminishing that insecurity is acceptance. There is no ideal human appearance despite what various forms of media may lead you to believe. Different people have different preferences, and you are beautiful to some people no matter how you look. Make yourself the first person who realizes that.
4. Thoughts
Being insecure about your thoughts is one of the worst feelings because no one else can see your thoughts unless you make them known, so you are stuck wondering if your thoughts are strange or terrible without a way to verify them. Luckily, there are several anonymous online forums dedicated to these types of questions. You can try searching your specific question online, or you can make a post yourself on the appropriate forum. Chances are that you are not alone in thinking that your thoughts are strange, but it feels nice to have confirmation.
5. Relationships
Relationship insecurities do not have to be limited to insecurities about romantic partnerships. They can surround friendships, familial relationships, or professional relationships. In more personal relationships, you should bring up any insecurities you have directly. Any person who belongs in your life will listen to your concerns and work to help quell your fears. This is not the case in professional relationships since you are often forced into them. You have very little control over with whom you interact in a professional environment, so use the little control you have to put your needs first. If you feel better being away from someone, make an effort to be around them as infrequently as possible.
Everyone has felt insecure at some point in his or her life, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. Even the people who seem like confident, well-adjusted people have doubts sometimes. Remember that everyone is almost always as clueless as you feel. Most people get through life by faking like they know what they are doing, so start faking it along with them.