Five ways to rebuild confidence on a bad day

When you’re having a bad day, doubting yourself, or your insecurities are rampaging, it can be difficult to take action or make decisions.

We all get these low feelings, which can knock our self-esteem, so how can you lift yourself back up and have the confidence to move forward?

Well, here are five strategies I recommend to help you.

Five ways to rebuild confidence on a bad day

1. Accept that it’s okay to not be okay sometimes

Tough or unfair things do happen in life, and there are times when we all feel grief, shame, guilt and failure. Accept that these are human emotions and that it’s okay to feel not okay; it’s okay to feel low, and it’s okay to feel uncomfortable. Then treat yourself with compassion, knowing that at some point these bad feelings will start to pass.

2. Take one tiny step forward

You don’t have to make a huge change to feel more confident or to overcome your self-doubt. You just need to decide on one tiny positive step, and that will begin the shift. Whether it’s writing down your positive achievements, deciding to stop talking negatively about yourself or asking for help, just one small step at a time will build to a big change.

3. Stay present in today

Looking further ahead than the current moment can feel scary and overwhelming when your mood is low. If you can focus on this day or this minute, rather than what’s happened in the past or might happen in the future, you may allow your worry to reduce and your mind to clear.

4. Be okay with not knowing what others think

If your self-doubt is driven by worrying about how others may be judging you, or why they’ve said or behaved in a certain way, then you’re allowing others to control how you feel. Instead, accept that you’ll never know exactly what anyone else is thinking, and the confident thing to do is assume their thoughts are positive.

5. The choice is yours

Your confidence levels can be influenced by your attitude and the choices you make. So when you’re overcome by self-doubt, give yourself the push to step a very small way out of your comfort zone. Not only may this lift your mood, but if you celebrate the fact that you had the confidence to try, you are also building your confidence for the future.