How to Get a Confidence Boost

It’s so easy to feel down about yourself these days. We live in a society that puts certain things in the spotlight and decides what’s beautiful and what’s not. Not only that, but we also live in this social media age where everyone shares everything. All it takes is a scroll down your Instagram timeline, and you’ll see plenty of models in bikinis with perfectly sculpted bodies, living their best lives. If you don’t look like that, then it can easily get you down, and you start to feel very low in confidence.

But, you can also feel a lack of confidence because of things not related to your looks as well. Sometimes, you have a bad day at work where you might make one tiny mistake, and it haunts your mind for days on end. You fall into a slump and start to feel like you’re not good enough; your confidence takes a massive hit.

The longer you carry on with low-confidence and self-esteem issues, the worse they become. It’ll get to the point where your mind is so negative that you end up forgetting to properly love yourself. So, keeping that in mind, here are a few simple ideas that will help give you a much-needed confidence boost, instantly!

Image Link

Exercise For 30 Minutes

While some self-confidence issues are linked to other things, it’s fair to say that most of them are related to body image. Especially if, like I said earlier, you’re going on social media and seeing all the slim and trim women in their bikinis and tight summer outfits. The natural reaction to this is to just feel bad about the way you look compared to them, and your confidence dies.

However, you can do one simple thing to make yourself feel a little bit better right away. All you have to do is exercise for thirty minutes. Half an hour of intense exercise is all you need to give yourself a massive confidence boost. Exercise releases endorphins, which is a hormone in your body that’s proven to help you feel more happy and positive. Everyone always feels better after exercising, and you can too! If you really want to give yourself a massive confidence boost, then keep exercising for 3-4 days per week. There’s nothing worse for your body and confidence than just sitting around doing nothing - so be active!

Image Origin

Try A New Hairstyle

A lot of the time, you can give yourself a proper confidence boost by just changing the way your hair looks. Hairstyles come in and out of fashion, and there are loads to choose from depending on what suits you. What’s more, hairstyles are probably the easiest thing you can change about yourself. If you have self-confidence issues because you’ve got bad skin or a big nose, then you can’t really change either of those things in an instant. However, you can change your hair to give yourself a brand new look that makes you feel more self-confident when you look in the mirror.

My advice is to try a look that you’ve never attempted before; do something completely different to what you’re used to. This can help you see yourself in an entirely new light, and make you feel more love for your appearance. There are lots of trendy styles out there right now, but a couple of my favourites are crimped hair, short hair, and braids. Crimped hair is when you use a hair crimper to give your hair a really pretty zigzag pattern that looks wavy. It’s in-fashion right now, which makes it the perfect idea. Short hair is obviously very striking, particularly if you’re used to having long hair. Again, it can help you see yourself in a completely new way. Braids are just very pretty, and you can experiment with different styles as well. Changing the way your hair looks is such an excellent way of bringing out your natural beauty and helping you feel more confident.

Improve Your Posture

Have you ever caught sight of yourself in the mirror when you’re feeling down? If you have, then you’ll undoubtedly see a hunched over figure staring back at you. The more depressed you feel, the more rounded over your posture becomes. We have a tendency to just fall forward when we’re down - it’s almost like we give up and just let our bodies round forwards, so we become hunched and slumped over.

Well, you can improve your confidence by doing the opposite of this and sitting/standing up nice and straight. Improve your daily posture, and you’ll instantly feel much better about yourself. Try it right now and see what I mean. If you sit with your back nice and straight, shoulders set backwards, and your chest out, then you exude confidence. Other people see you as being more confident than you might actually be. It’s simple; carry yourself with a positive posture, and you’ll feel more positive about yourself. Now, when you catch a look at yourself in the mirror, you’ll see a completely different person.

Image Credit

Remind Yourself That You’re Loved

Everyone reading this is loved by someone. Even if you’re single, you’re still loved by family and friends. When you’re not feeling confident, it’s easy to get dark thoughts in your head that keep telling you you’re the worst and you’re not good enough for anyone. This is especially tough for people that are single and maybe struggle to find a partner for whatever reason. Or, if you go on a date but it doesn’t work out; you immediately get that complete lack of confidence.

It’s so important that you remind yourself that you’re loved. Talk to the people you surround yourself with; your family, friends, or maybe even your partner if you have one. Let them know how you’re feeling, and they’ll respond like any good person should - by telling you all the good things about yourself. Sometimes, all it takes is a hug from a loved one to make you feel so much better about yourself. It reminds you that there are people who care about you and love you deeply. This gives you such a mental boost that helps with your confidence.

Do Something You’re Good At

What’s the main underlying theme associated with a lack of confidence? It’s this feeling that you’re not good enough in some way, shape, or form. You might not think you look good enough compared to others, or you may feel less talented than some people. Either way, you just don’t think you have any strengths, and it gets you down.

So, the last thing you can do to give yourself an instant confidence boost is to do things you’re good at. No matter what you may think, everyone is good at something. The beauty of this world is that people display talents in many different ways. Maybe you’re a keen musician, or perhaps you’re really good at writing? Regardless, do whatever it is that you’re best at, and it will make you feel more confident. You get into a positive mindset when you’re doing something and are aware that you’re doing it well!

All these ideas are great for giving you a serious confidence boost when you need it the most. Remember what I said near the beginning of this post; the longer you let your confidence issues manifest, the worse they become. So, by having these ideas to give you an instant boost, you ensure that you’re not always stuck in a negative mindset, and can feel more confident!

#

*Collaborative piece

Traveling Stateside: American States For The Bucket List

Heading to the USA may seem like one of those trips that would be bucket list worth, wouldn’t you agree? With so many states and destinations to choose from, you could spend your whole traveling life visiting every inch of it. However, there are some destinations in the US that are worth adding to your bucket list and should certainly be high on the priority list for your future holidays. For different reasons I might add. So I thought I would share with you five of them now to get you inspired.

Image source

Florida

Maybe Florida is one to add to your bucket list and I can tell you that there are many reasons as to why you should have it on there. Not only do you have the fabulous Orlando, filled with some of the best theme parks in all of the world, but you also some of the best beaches around. Miami beach, Fort Lauderdale and The florida Keys will have you escaping your real life and relaxing into that beach vibe in no time at all.

California

Maybe California is the one, the sunshine state and the place where not only do youa have the home of some of the studies for the top filmes we see at the cinema, but you also have cities like San Francisco and the indi vibe that Santa Cruz can offer. Staying in places like the Hotel Paradox means you are closer to the action of this fabulous location. California has something for everyone, and many people consider a road trip of this state to take it all in.

New York

The state of New York has many hidden gems, but one of the most iconic places happens to be New York City. You can walk down the sidewalks of Manhattan pretending you are a star in the latest Sex and the city release, you can shop until your heart's content in some of the most iconic stores, or just take in some of the best views around on top of the empire state building.

Nevada

There is one thing for it when it comes to Nevada, and that is the adult sin city of Las Vegas. It happens to be on many bucket lists already, but as it might not be in yours, I thought I would include it in this list anyway. Seeing the sights and sounds of the lights and grandeur that is the Las Vegas strip, betting a bit of money on the roulette or slot machines, or just enjoying cocktails around the pool or taking in one of the famous residency shows. It really is a fun holiday to have.

Texas

Finally, we have the state of Texas and it really has a lot to offer in terms of a vacation. The musical capital of Austin has some of the best live music around, but there are also places such as Houston and Dallas that you can take in as well. Finally, if you like the chance to just sit and relax then you can people watch in the multicultural area of San Antonio.

I hope this has given you some food for thought for your next trip away.

Tips For Blogging On The Go

Fitting in time to blog can be a hard thing.  A full time job, dates, commitments with friends and having time to actually relax and sit down to write can sometimes be challenging.

So many times I have found myself under deadline, or with an opinion piece that I really want to write and end up writing at 11pm.  Not ideal.  But writing still brings me so much joy, so how do you do it?

The challenge is to fit my blogging around my life and still being able to be creative with it and keep the joy and excitement in there, without it being a chore.

For me, that means creating a virtual office that I can take with me everywhere, whilst maintaining a home base where I collate my ideas.  Here is how I do it:

Buy a Notice Board

I have recently purchased a notice board for my room where I can pin my notes for my latest blogging ideas and projects. I use colourful post it notes along with pages from my notebook in order to create a visual aide that I can look at for reminders of what is in my to do list along with inspirations for future pieces.  For me, this works much better than a calendar or diary.

Utilize Your Travel Time

I worked out the other day that I spend 45 minutes on the bus every day.  Perfect time for a little blogging inspiration!  I have a cheap notebook that I don't mind tearing pages from where I jot down ideas and piece together blog posts using bullet points that can be typed and added to later.

If you travel to work by bus or by train, your commute is the perfect time to get started on pieces and get the inspiration flowing.

Write on the Go

A few months ago I purchased a small lightweight tablet with a removable keyboard which has proved a lifesaver.  Whilst you cannot get a tablet out on the bus (although would be great on the train), I find it perfect for transforming my notes into a few paragraphs in my lunch or when in the summer, sitting in a park and getting a little work done whilst getting some sunshine.

Maintaining Your Down Time

Remember, writing is supposed to be fun.  It is what you enjoy so don't make it a chore.  Remember to enjoy yourself, take a break, take a step back and relax.  If you schedule your time there is no reason why you should be writing late at night or getting up early to finish a piece.

How to Organise Your Home

 Keeping your home organised and in order is an ongoing battle that we all face on a daily basis, but just following a few simple tips can ensure that your home is clean and clear.

Having an organised home can take a bit of effort if you don't have the right vacuum cleaner, but keeping it this way can work wonders for your wellbeing.

For The Love Of Dogs

I have always loved dogs.  The unconditional love.  The happy face that greets you when you come in the door.  They way they somehow seem to know when you are ill or sad and come to cuddle you.  

Over the past 25 years we have had many dogs.  See you if can see the (very obvious) theme of the names! Benjie, Sophie, Cindy, Ellie, Rosie and Simba.  All with the "ie" on the end apart from our latest baby boy, Simba.

The saddest part about having a dog is that they have you their entire life, but you don't have them for yours.  We have had to say goodbye to 5 dogs and it is heartbreaking every single time.  But we will always remember their love, their characteristics, their personalities.

Our dining room is host to the pictures of all the dogs we have had over the years.

I realised the other day that Simba was turning 2 in June and we still not have a picture of him up in the house.  That had to be remedied ASAP so I started looking at photo canvas prints online that we could put on the wall.

I think the hardest part was choosing a photograph of him, I have hundreds on my phone as he is such a little poser!  See what you think of the photograph I chose..

Isn't he just utterly beautiful?  As you can see, we have departed from having Yorkshire Terriers to this time, a Shih Tzu this time.  When we went looking at dogs this time around after losing our wonderful Rosie and Ellie last year, I saw their faces in all the puppies we looked at.  We found Simba on Gumtree of all places, with current owners who couldn't care for him anymore so at 4 months, he became our baby instead.

Do you have photographs of your fur babies (or actual babies, whatever takes your preference that you want on your wall?  Because I am happy to tell you that I have a promotion code for www.my-picture.co.uk on their already discounted canvas print formats (87% saving in all!).  

All you have to do is go on the site, upload your photograph, select the desired print canvas format and enter the code THECURVEDOPINION in the coupon code section when checking out.  Simple!  The code is valid until the 15th May 2018.

Let me know in the comments if you buy a print and what photograph you have chosen!

*This item was gifted to me but all opinions (and fur babies) are my own