3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Confidence

#1: Try a behavioural experiment

If you’ve ever felt like your confidence is low or non-existent, you’re not alone. At some point, we’ve all felt timid, nervous or like the smallest person in the room.

Confidence is often context-dependent — you might feel confident and loud when you’re with your friends and family, but getting up to do a presentation in front of strangers can make your confidence levels deplete.

As a naturally introverted and shy person, I have often lacked conviction and belief in myself. This meant:

• I never wanted to try anything new — my confidence levels didn't allow me too.
• It stopped me from networking and meeting new people.
• My ability to grow as an individual was limited.

I wanted to change that. I wanted to have the confidence to enable me to go into any situation and feel like like I could achieve anything.

Reflecting on it now, enhancing your confidence is a lot simpler than you may think. So — let’s get down to business!

1. Try a behavioural experiment

We are so quick to believe that we lack confidence but we are so slow to test this belief.

Perhaps it’s our way of seeking comfort and to not push ourselves outside of our comfort zone.

We formulate ideas about how we will be perceived by others because we lack confidence:

• “People will laugh at me and think I am incapable.”
• “People will think I am stupid.”
• “I won’t be taken seriously.”

The reality is:

If you want to improve your confidence, give yourself opportunities to grow. Conduct an experiment with yourself that gives you the chance to improve your confidence levels.

We often do this within psychology — when someone is lacking confidence or has high levels of anxiety we conduct behavioural experiments to test negative, automatic beliefs to help re-evaluate them. It encourages positive experiences and provides evidence to reduce these thoughts.

As an example — if you lack confidence when speaking over the phone to people (something that I had difficulties with) call a restaurant to make a reservation, or call a friend for a quick chat — test those beliefs through a behavioural experiment.

Once you’ve completed it, reflect and see what went well. Were you able to answer a question? Were you able to ask a question? Did you successfully make the reservation?

You’ll notice that by conducting these experiments with yourself, you will build up evidence to show that you are able or are increasingly able to achieve your targets. The result is an increase in confidence.

2. Do the ‘Power Pose’

Power posing first came into the media through Harvard Business School professor, Amy Cuddy.

Cuddy is a firm believer that our mind and body are connected.

She indicated that if we adopt powerful and confident stances (power poses) we can make ourselves feel more confident and powerful.

Cuddy’s study in 2010 found that individuals who performed these power poses experienced adaptive psychological, physiological and behavioural changes such as increased levels of testosterone, power, confidence and decreased levels of cortisol (stress hormone) compared to those individuals who did not adopt these power poses.

Power poses to try:

• ‘The Performer’- Involves planting your feet wide and stretching your arms above your head in a V shape.
• ‘The Wonder Woman’- Hands on hips, feet wide apart, push your chest out and chin up. If you google ‘wonder woman pose’ you’ll see exactly what I mean.
• ‘The CEO’- Sit down, place your hands behind your head, keep your knees apart and lean back in the chair.

Try holding these positions for 1–2 minutes before you go to a job interview, give a presentation at work or just before you’re about to meet new people. It will no doubt help with enhancing your confidence.

Although there has been some criticism towards Amy’s study (for example, the effects may have happened by chance) more recent studies, show that it works.

Cuddy looked at over 55 studies and found clear significant links between power posing and adaptive physiological, psychological and behavioural changes.

It’s clear from the more recent research that they work.

Also, I am a firm believer in testing it out on yourself. I have always used these power poses just before I delivered presentations at university. I can proudly say that in all these presentations, I achieved the highest mark possible and I had a great belief in myself to do well after executing a power pose.

For me, they work and is something to try to improve your confidence.

3. Make time for the things you enjoy

Keeping up with what you enjoy is pivotal to improving your confidence.

By making time for your hobbies and interests, you are more likely to feel happy and have a better mental well-being.

Happiness has been consistently linked with increases in confidence. A 2014 study found a relationship between self-esteem and happiness. The more happy individuals reported to be, the greater their self-esteem was. Also, a 2007 research study found that individuals who were put in a happy state reported an increase in confidence, in their thoughts.

Thinking from personal experience, I couldn’t agree more with the research above.

I love fitness — whether that be the gym, playing football or swimming — and I have found that consistent engagement with these sports has boosted my happiness and in turn, boosted my confidence — I feel like I can achieve anything.

Within your week put time aside to engage in your hobbies. If you enjoy reading, walking, playing an instrument, listening to music, dancing or whatever it is, do not let it go.

Keep up with your interests and you will notice the boost in confidence.

Final Thoughts

Using these strategies helped me achieve what I wanted — an increase in confidence.

It’s enabled me to break those negative thought patterns that I had about myself and have a better belief in myself.

Using these techniques has helped me:

• Give presentations to strangers confidently.
• Meet new people without feeling nervous.
• Perform well at job interviews.
• Have confidence talking over the phone with people.

The list is endless!

Whether you’re looking to really boost your confidence or you’re just looking for a slight nudge, all these evidence-based strategies can help. Implementing these tips has changed everything for me and I hope they can help you too!

Good luck!