9 Ways to Help Overcome Feeling Self Conscious

Everyone feels self-conscious about their body from time to time. However, if you have suffered from low self-esteem since childhood, understanding how your self-esteem was shaped and continues to influence your life can help you gain awareness for change.

The voice in our head of self-doubt and insecurity can get very loud, be very persistent, often discouraging and even destructive. Being self-conscious limits our ability to enjoy the moment, and we often feel ashamed and embarrassed.

These feelings and emotions may place us in overwhelm.

The good news is there are things you can do to make small, incremental changes that will lead to building confidence and make you less critical of yourself. 

Working on accepting yourself unconditionally may take time but deliver a sense of freedom.

Remember that people aren’t thinking of you as much as you are thinking of you. What you think that they might be thinking is typically wrong.

We all hope for positive feedback but don’t plan on it. Practice these tips for overcoming self-conscious feelings so that you won’t ever be stopped from what you want to do.

9 Ways to Help Overcome Feeling Self Conscious

1. STOP agreeing with your negative thoughts. We all struggle with self-doubt. Acknowledge these thoughts when they pop into your mind but refuse to agree with them.
2. Imagine your best friend is in the same situation? What would you say to her? Would you try to give her a pep talk? Follow your advice to her and practice some self-love.
3. Don’t put other people on a pedestal, others are not ‘more than’ and you are not ‘less than’. Often, they are a working, struggling, self-conscious person just like you.
4. Accept yourself as you are, wonderful faults and all. Self-acceptance makes you feel worthwhile and valued. It is the platform that enables you to move ahead.
5. Get serious, no-one is paying attention to you, they are all focused on their own issues, thoughts, worries and struggles.
6. Stop comparing yourself to others. Your body, life, strengths and weaknesses are not the same as anyone else – focus on your strengths and what you like most about yourself.
7. Act on what’s making you nervous. Don’t overthink things, make small changes and make a habit of getting out of your comfort zone. Your confidence will build as you take action.
8. Wear clothes that you feel comfortable in, not clothes that the fashion world tells you to wear. Just not too many kaftans!!!!
9. Stay positive and be patient. Trust yourself and trust the process.

Health is about more than weight. It’s about feeling good, being able to do the things you like to do and being confident about who you are.

As an adult you have the capacity to repair a damaged and insecure self-esteem. The task is to re-classify negative thoughts in your mind and replace them with positive thoughts over time. This is not an immediate change thing. 

You can develop a positive self-esteem over time and utilize it effectively to achieve your weight loss and long-term weight management goals.

Good luck on your journey!