To feel better and more confident quickly, change your state first: move your body, step outside, drink some water, and swap harsh self-talk for a realistic, kind statement. Then build lasting confidence by recalling past achievements and finishing one small task, because, according to psychologist Albert Bandura, mastery experiences are the strongest source of self-belief.
Key Takeaways
- Self-confidence is trust in your ability to do what you set out to do; self-esteem is how you judge your own worth.
- Fast mood lifts include a walk, time in nature, water, laughter and writing down what you feel.
- Confidence grows most from experience: finishing tasks, even small ones, is the strongest builder.
- Daily habits matter: the US National Institute of Mental Health notes that 30 minutes of walking a day can boost mood.
- Low mood that lasts two weeks or more, or makes daily life hard, is a reason to talk to a professional.
Self-confidence, which is trust in your own ability to do what you set out to do, shapes how people act every day. It gives you the boost to do things that you would otherwise not do with ease. For instance, you may give pitches that land you great clients or even approach someone you’ve silently been crushing on. This is why you need to strive to feel your best every single day.
Powerful Ways to Be More Confident
However, this may not be such an easy task. There will be days when you’ll wake up feeling dull and gloomy. When this happens, don’t just stay in that state. Find some things you can do to get you out of that rut.
Here are 12 activities to help you feel better and boost your confidence.
Pamper Yourself
Get into the bathroom and have a long shower with all your favorite products. This process will be a calming one and will leave you feeling refreshed. Once you’re done, apply your favorite oils and dress to impress.
Remember to wear something that brings you joy. This is not the time to focus on how you look in the eyes of other people. Afterward, take your favorite perfume and apply it for that sweet scent.
Do Something Creative
Take time to sit down and play with paint and create something. It might not be the best piece, but making something gives your mind an absorbing task to focus on.
This will keep you distracted from whatever is bothering you. It might even help you express some of your feelings and allow you to let them out.
Improve Your Self Talk
A lot of times you’ll find yourself thinking negatively about your life and your current situation. This negativity only makes you feel worse. The best thing is to replace this negative self-talk with some positive affirming words.
Look at yourself in the mirror and affirm to yourself “I am strong” or “ I am more than my current situation”. This will go a long way to shifting your mood and boost your confidence. Also, don’t forget to smile.
Hydrate
Drink water regularly through the day. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), not getting enough water can cause unclear thinking and mood changes, so staying hydrated supports a steadier mood. A reusable bottle you enjoy using, such as a customized glass bottle from a maker like Roetell, can make that easier; the CDC lists carrying a reusable water bottle as a simple way to drink more water.
Write It Down
If you don’t want to pour out your heart to someone, the best thing is to write it all down. Get your diary or journal and write down everything you feel. Start with how you woke up and from there everything else will just flow.
Writing will help you vent and get everything from your heart onto paper. This will leave you feeling lighter and so much better about yourself.
Revisit All Your Achievements
Whatever is keeping you down right now is nothing compared to all that you have been through and have come out the other side stronger.
Reminding yourself of all those accomplishments will assure you that you can get through this too. Who wouldn’t feel better after this? You’ll be ready to go conquer the world in your own little way.
Get Moving
What’s your favorite activity? Whether it’s yoga, jogging, or something else just get to it right away. Exercise is linked to the release of endorphins, the brain’s feel-good chemicals, and the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) notes that just 30 minutes of walking every day can boost mood and improve health. It will also give you a boost in confidence to go get more things done.
Be One with Nature
Fresh air, birdsong and green spaces can be calming. A 2019 study of 19,806 people in England, published in Scientific Reports, found that people who spent at least 120 minutes a week in nature were more likely to report good health and high well-being. Get out and take a walk at the park and allow yourself to enjoy every moment.
Listen keenly to the birds as they sing and just marvel at the wonders of nature. This can leave you with a clearer mind, which makes worries easier to think through.
Put Your Phone Down
This is not the time to scroll through social media or encourage distractions. Remember that social media only portrays the good side in people’s lives. Scrolling through such a feed will leave you feeling worse because you’ll compare yourself to others.
Keep your phone away and just deal with feeling better and concentrate on yourself. You could use this time to reflect and meditate to get yourself in a calm state.
While meditating, visualize all the things you want to accomplish. These should be things that put a bright smile on your face. Many people come out of a session like this calmer and clearer about what they want to do next.
Watch a Funny Clip
Laughter is not a cure for illness, but it can lift a mood fast. When people laugh, the brain releases endorphins, and a 2011 study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B linked social laughter to a higher pain threshold. Watching a funny video is the best way to get you laughing. This will have you excited about what the rest of your day has in store.
Give Thanks
Practicing gratitude regularly has been associated with greater happiness and more positive emotions. In a 10-week study by psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough, people who wrote each week about things they were grateful for felt more optimistic and better about their lives than those who wrote about irritations, as summarized by Harvard Health Publishing. Being grateful doesn’t mean you have to wait for big things to happen in your life.
You can start practicing gratitude by being thankful for your life or the oxygen you breathe. This will help you see all the blessings you take for granted and leave you feeling better and ready to get moving.
Cry It Out
Don’t hold anything in just let it all out. Crying can release the tension of a feeling that keeps nagging at you. It may sound counterproductive, but there is some evidence that crying lowers stress, possibly through hormones such as oxytocin. The research is mixed, though: crying does not make sadness vanish, and people may remember a good cry as more helpful than it was.
Conclusion
Feeling better and more confident is achievable despite your current circumstances. The fact that you’ve had a bad day or woke up on the wrong side of the bed should not keep you down.
Get up and dust yourself off with the tips in this guide. Always remember that there will always be good days and bad days. It all depends on how you’ll handle it all.
What Is Self-Confidence?
Self-confidence is trust in yourself: a positive belief that you can generally accomplish what you want to do. Self-confidence is not the same as self-esteem. Self-esteem is an overall judgment of your own worth, while self-confidence is about what you believe you can do.
A closely related idea is self-efficacy, introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura in 1977. Self-efficacy is the belief that you can succeed at a specific task or in a specific situation. It explains why someone can feel confident giving a work presentation but nervous on a first date.
Where Does Confidence Come From?
Bandura described four sources of self-efficacy. Knowing them shows which of the tips above build confidence that lasts and which mainly lift your mood in the moment.
- Mastery experiences: succeeding at something yourself. Bandura considered this the most important source, which is why revisiting achievements and finishing small tasks work.
- Vicarious experiences: seeing people similar to you succeed, which suggests that you can too.
- Social persuasion: encouragement from others about what you are capable of.
- Physical and emotional states: how you feel in your body. Calming down through movement, breathing or time outdoors changes how capable you feel.
Which Confidence Tips Work Fastest?
The 12 activities in this guide fall into two groups: quick mood lifts and habits that build confidence over time. The table sums up what the main ones do and what the evidence says.
| Activity | Main effect | What the evidence says |
|---|---|---|
| Get moving | Quick mood lift | NIMH: 30 minutes of walking a day can boost mood; the CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity a week for adults |
| Be one with nature | Calm, well-being | 2019 study of 19,806 people: at least 120 minutes a week in nature linked to better reported health and well-being |
| Give thanks | Longer-term mood | 10-week gratitude-writing study: participants felt more optimistic about their lives |
| Watch a funny clip | Quick mood lift | Laughter releases endorphins; social laughter linked to a higher pain threshold |
| Hydrate | Steadier mood and focus | CDC: dehydration may cause unclear thinking and mood changes |
| Revisit your achievements | Lasting confidence | Draws on mastery experience, the strongest source of self-efficacy in Bandura’s model |
| Improve your self-talk | Less self-criticism | NIMH advises identifying and challenging negative and unhelpful thoughts |
| Cry it out | Release of tension | Mixed: some evidence of lower stress, but benefits may be overstated in memory |
A 15-Minute Routine to Feel Better Right Now
When you need a quick reset before a meeting, a date or a hard conversation, combine several of the tips into one short routine:
- Put your phone in another room or switch on do-not-disturb.
- Drink a glass of water.
- Take a brisk 10-minute walk, outdoors if you can.
- Write down three things that went well recently and one past challenge you got through.
- Replace one harsh thought with a realistic statement, such as “I have prepared for this and I can handle it.”
- Choose one small task and finish it, so the day starts with a completed win.
How to Build Confidence That Lasts
Quick fixes help on a bad morning, but lasting self-confidence comes from repeated evidence that you can cope. These habits, drawn from NIMH self-care guidance and Bandura’s work on self-efficacy, build that evidence:
- Set small, clear goals: NIMH suggests deciding what must get done now and what can wait. Each finished goal is a mastery experience.
- Keep a regular sleep schedule: NIMH advises sticking to a schedule and getting enough sleep. See these tips for improving your sleep quality.
- Stay connected: reach out to friends or family who can offer emotional support and honest encouragement.
- Practice relaxation: meditation, muscle relaxation or breathing exercises can lower the physical tension that makes you feel less capable.
- Challenge negative self-talk: if a harsh inner voice keeps telling you that you are not good enough, this guide on negative self-talk and self-doubt explains how to answer it.
Common Mistakes That Undercut Confidence
- Comparing yourself to social media: feeds show highlights, not everyday life.
- Waiting to feel confident before acting: confidence usually follows action, because finishing tasks is what builds it.
- Relying only on quick fixes: a hot shower or a funny clip helps today; sleep, exercise and finished goals help next month too.
- Ignoring chronic stress: constant overload drains confidence. Learn the signs in this article on modern stress and burnout.
When to Seek Professional Help
Everyone has low days, and the tips in this guide are not a substitute for medical care. According to NIMH, it is time to seek professional help if severe or distressing symptoms last two weeks or more. Those symptoms include difficulty sleeping, changes in appetite or weight, struggling to get out of bed because of your mood, trouble concentrating, loss of interest in things you usually enjoy, and being unable to do usual daily tasks.
A primary care provider is a good first step, and this guide explains how to find an online therapist for anxiety or depression. In the United States, anyone in crisis can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is free, confidential and available 24 hours a day. Outside the US, contact your local emergency number.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I feel more confident instantly?
The fastest way to feel more confident is to change your physical state and then take one small action. A brisk walk, a glass of water and a kind, realistic statement to yourself can calm nerves within minutes, and finishing one small task gives you immediate proof that you can get things done.
What is the difference between self-confidence and self-esteem?
Self-confidence is trust in your ability to accomplish what you set out to do. Self-esteem is your overall judgment of your own worth. A person can feel confident in one skill, such as cooking, while still having low self-esteem overall.
Does exercise really improve mood?
Yes. Exercise is linked to the release of endorphins, and the US National Institute of Mental Health says just 30 minutes of walking every day can boost mood and improve health. The CDC recommends that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week plus muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days.
How much time in nature helps you feel better?
A 2019 study of 19,806 people in England, published in Scientific Reports, found that spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature was associated with good reported health and high well-being. The benefits peaked at 200 to 300 minutes a week, and it did not matter whether the time came in one long visit or several short ones.
Why do I lack confidence?
Low confidence often comes from limited recent experience of success, harsh self-talk, comparison with others, stress or poor sleep. Building small wins, challenging negative thoughts and looking after basic health usually help. If low confidence comes with a persistently low mood, talk to a doctor or mental health professional.
