Self-Confidence is All You Need by Ashley Bolliger

Hello, my name is Ashley. Mental health and wellness have always been a priority and working goal of achievement throughout my life. As a busy human-being completing school and daily activities where life can seem overwhelming, however I have managed to adapt and find ways to assist my mental health.

Throughout the creation of these blog posts I hope my wellness advice can help you in a positive way. The topic I’m going to discuss throughout this post is a feeling we often don’t realize that plays an important role in our daily success. Self-Confidence is all about trusting our own capabilities and judgment, as well as, valuing our worth, despite the imperfections and ways others may view us. In today’s world, many of us students become so hard on ourselves when situations don’t go our way. We work hard to receive good grades, but we may not get the grade we intended to receive or we wish to look a certain way but forget to be our unique authentic selves. The key to self-confidence begins with an optimistic mindset! We can gain or improve our self-confidence in many ways. These mechanisms encourage us to continue reaching our goals. Some methods I personally use to boost my self-confidence include: 1. Communicate with Mentors When I was going into my first year of University, which was last year, I was nervous about this next chapter of my life especially about the heavy workload of majoring in science. When I went to speak with upper year students and professors about ways to succeed, their personal advice and experiences had boosted my self-confidence. There were three study strategies I learned: - Review notes regularly - Ask questions when required about difficult concepts - Create study groups with friends 2. Read inspiring books from role models Another way to improve self-confidence is to take some time to read some inspiring words from people who you view to be role models. Over the past summer I read a book from a famous real estate agent in Los Angeles. Tracy Tutor’s novel was moving because she talks about her many experiences being a female real estate agent and how she is never afraid to be herself in front of others. Her moto “Own any room” truly exemplifies how self-confidence can lead to reaching personal successes in the future. In a similar way, I try to implement this advice in my life, understanding that without self-confidence my negative emotions may hold me back from reaching my full potential in life. 3. Self-Talk Finally, developing a positive self-talk can help maintain a healthy mindset and can increase overall confidence. I generally use this technique before a competitive soccer game and prior to a midterm exam. This method has helped me in my recent past not only because it has boosted my overall mood, but it elevates my stress levels and prompts me to perform to the best of my abilities. In most cases, the self-talk has enabled a positive outcome but sometimes not. However, what I have learned to understand throughout some moments don’t necessarily work out the first time is to continue trying and never loose hope. I’m so glad to be sharing my personal advice about self-confidence with you. I hope you can learn from these three mechanisms. Always remember that self-confidence begins with you and your positive mindset.