A lot of people have insecurities. This can be about your work, your school work, what you look like, how you come across to other people or how your future will be. You can’t help to get insecure. However, the art of feeling better about yourself is not to be guided by your insecurities. We share 6 tips with you to help you out.

Tips to overcome insecurity

Typical insecurities are being afraid of making mistakes, being led by what other people think of you, believing others are better than you or assuming that nobody likes you. Insecurity is not congenital. It’s getting anxious about yourself or a certain situation, which affects your self esteem. These 6 tips help you deal with insecurity:

1. Don’t try to ‘read’ other people’s thoughts

Be aware of the fact that you can’t know what other people think of you. Try not to fill in their thoughts, everybody thinks in a different way. On top of that, a lot of people are too focused on themselves to even think about you in that sense.

2. Exclude these words

Don’t think in negative words. Examples of these words are: always, never and not at all. Try to avoid these words and try be milder to yourself.

3. Set achievable goals

A lot of people are insecure because they want to achieve a goal that is out of reach. This is painful and can make you feel insecure. Before setting a goal, consider whether it’s achievable or not. If the goal is too big, divide it into smaller goals. Also keep in mind that it’s OK to make mistakes and to take a step back.

4. Write down positive things about yourself

Write all the positive things about yourself down on a piece of paper. Everything! So your qualities, the skills that you believe are good in and what good you’ve done today. If you can’t come up with something, write down the successes you’ve achieved already. For example, getting a graduate degree! Look back on how far you’ve got already.

5. Knowledge is self confidence

Learning will help you grow confidence. For example a training will increase your knowledge about certain areas. Having a presentation coming up? Visit a training to improve your presentation skills!

6. The right attitude does wonders

Walking, sitting and standing straight can provide more self-confidence. Furthermore, it can help to look people in the eye while you are talking. But do this with a smile and not insistently.

NiceDay app

Discuss your insecurities with your professional and how to overcome them. Write them down in you NiceDay-diary to get insight in your thoughts and emotions.