Finding your place and self-confidence to be comfortable in college is not instantaneous. Even going into my junior year here at Saint Vincent College, it is very easy to let thoughts of “am I good enough” or “am I smart enough” creep in and drag me down. Comparing yourself to other people blinds you to the beauty you have within.
What I have learned is that there is a lot of power in small lifestyle changes. You can change your mindset, and you can choose to be happy and confident. Little steps each day can make a huge difference in your life! Below I share some tips that I have found useful in my personal life to not only cultivate my own self-confidence and self-love, but to help others love themselves too!
1. Follow positive and inspiring role models on social media.
Social media is awesome! Until you see that girl with perfect hair, who works out every day, has a model for a boyfriend, and gets 5,000 likes on every picture. Ugh. How does she have her life so put together?! Well, she probably doesn’t. Everyone struggles and no one’s life is perfect or easy. But I still compare myself to people on Instagram and I know I’m not the only one. That’s why I decided to find positive accounts to follow that will inspire me as I’m scrolling through my feed.
Some of the accounts I follow and recommend are:
* Sarah Tripp @sassyredlipstick, a body positive blogger and model who shares life and fashion advice
* Jenna Kutcher @jennakutcher, an inspiring entrepreneur who started her own business, models (even though she is pregnant!), and has a podcast
* Emily Wilson @emwilss, a woman dedicated to empowering Christian and Catholic women with meaningful life and relationship advice
* Chelsea Werner @showtimewerner, a model and athlete who has Downs Syndrome but doesn’t let this stop her from achieving her dreams
* Jackie Francois Angel, @jackiefrancois, a Catholic mom of three who’s faith is inspiring to all people and shows that love can be shown in many ways
Image Credit: sassyredlipstick.com
2. Decorate your room with happy quotes and pictures!
I love decorating my dorm room with photos of my friends, family, pets, and things I’ve done or places I’ve been. I also find it very helpful to write down quotes I find inspiring and tape or pin them round my room! Sometimes a happy quote on a bright piece of paper gives me the confidence boost I need for the day.
Image Credit: Pinterest
3. Don’t describe yourself as “dumb” or “stupid.”
A good habit to form is to talk to yourself like you would talk to a close friend. I would never tell my friend she’s stupid for not knowing something. So, you shouldn’t call yourself dumb or stupid either. Remove those words from your vocabulary. Allow yourself to make mistakes but move on and don’t beat yourself up.
Image Credit: Pinterest
4. Find a hobby or activity that relaxes you and makes you happy.
We aren’t robots. We can’t mechanically go through class after class and fill all our free time with homework. It is vital to have time to relax and an activity you can turn to and unwind. For me, I enjoy journaling or simply taking a walk outside to clear my mind. Focusing on being present in those moments without a cell phone is also very important!
HCXO,
Zelie