Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Holy Cross chapter.

The secret to life is self-confidence. However, it’s not easy to cultivate confidence in a culture that is competitive, superficial, and overall pretty negative. It’s easy to get swept up in your insecurities and other people’s opinions, but it’s important to learn to love yourself for who you are. The road to self-confidence isn’t easy or linear, but it is worth it! Here are some of my favorite ways to build up my confidence.

Mantras

It’s proven that repeating positive mantras to yourself has a positive effect on your mental health. Your mantra can be whatever you want. If there is something specific that is bothering you, you can focus on this with your mantra. For example, if you’re not feeling great about your body, your mantra can be “my body takes care of me” or “I love my body.” Some more generic mantras could be “I am at peace,” “I am authentic,” or “I am loved.”

The energy you put into the world is powerful, so be mindful of the energy that you cultivate! Practicing positivity, self-love, generosity, and kindness can seem radical in our culture, but it is always rewarding for both yourself and others.

Gratitude

Reminding yourself of all the things in your life that you are grateful for is a great way to boost your self-confidence. It helps you to focus on the good and cultivate positive energy! You can practice gratitude through journaling, prayer, mantras, meditation, or even by just making a mental list.

Yoga

Yoga is a great way to connect with and appreciate your spirit and your body. Yoga focuses on what you and your body can do rather than what you cannot do. After every yoga session, I feel proud of myself and my body. Yoga helps to build self-confidence through movement, which is important for those of us who are suffering with body image issues.

Confidence is key. Learning to love yourself is the most important thing a person can do.

Bridget is a Senior English major at Holy Cross. She likes books, yoga, Taylor Swift, feta cheese, and reality TV. When she grows up, she wants to be Miss Havisham or Jia Tolentino.