What’s Wrong With Being Confident?

What’s wrong with being confident?

I’m sure many of us have asked this same question at some point in our lives. Confidence can help us in many ways, from going for a promotion to asking someone out, but it also has incredible benefits for our mental health. It can sometimes be seen negatively, though — more on that later. I’m going to go into the connection between confidence and our health in today’s post. First, let’s break down what confidence is, and what it is not. 

What Is Confidence?

Merriam Webster dictionary defines confidence as “a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances.”

When reading this and seeing the word powers, you may feel intimidated and feel like confidence will always be out of reach. I want to give you an alternate, more approachable way of thinking about this definition of confidence. 

All you have to do is replace the word powers with a more personable word that relates to what you are going through.

Going for a promotion? Look at confidence as skill based, that is your power in this situation. Want to ask that cute guy/girl across the room out? Your power is in your personality traits. You can see from those two examples how it works, but basically confidence is whatever you want it to be. You don’t have to be perfect to feel confident, it’s yours to take right here where you are. 

Confidence can also sometimes spread. You may find that more people cheer for you when you are confident because of this.

Sydney shared this sentiment by saying, “When I see someone else feeling confident, all I want to do is hype them up. I wish they could carry that confidence with them forever and I am so proud of that person. Confidence is a difficult emotion to feel at times, so when someone else has that, I am so happy for them.”

Seeing people feel confident can spark a light and inspire others to find their confidence as well. “I admire confident people and aspire to be like them,” shared Amy. Think about the last time you saw a genuine confident person? Did it inspire you to feel confident as well? 

What Confidence Is Not

Confidence gets a bad reputation sometimes. That is because it gets confused with another word, arrogance. You can be humble and still be confident. That is the best way to differentiate from the two. 

When you are feeling confident it’s more internally based, but when someone is arrogant it’s more outward based. Arrogant people view themselves as better than most because of what they have or what they can do. That is not what we want to go for. Your confidence shouldn’t come at the expense of putting others down. 

What Is The Link Between Confidence and Health?

Now that you know what confidence is, and what it is not, it’s time to explore how it affects our health. 

The two go hand in hand. When you are feeling confident you are feeling great mentally. However, when you’re not having a great mental health day, your confidence level can suffer. Doubt, negative self-talk, and low self esteem can all happen in this situation, and you can’t feel confident if any of those three are present. Don’t just take my word for it, many people have experienced this. Hannah states that, “When I’m confident I feel care-free, relaxed, peaceful, and my mind is more still and the anxious thoughts that often play through my mind are at a minimum and I can be present in the moment.” 

Confidence can affect our general health as well. In their post about confidence, Jean Hailes For Women’s Health states that, “When you feel confident you tend to make decisions that are good for you and your health. You are more likely to take care of yourself, get out and about, be active, and choose healthier foods.” 

I can attest to both of these topics in relation to confidence. It is one of the reasons why I blog about both mental health and my weight loss journey on my personal blog. No matter what it is you are going through, or trying to accomplish, it all comes back to what you are thinking and how you are feeling. 

It makes sense that when you are feeling confident you also feel more accomplished. Recently I completed my first fitness challenge in about a year. I was able to start the next month with a positive outlook, despite going through a depressive episode. For the first time in months I felt confident in my ability to lose the weight again, even though numbers wise I didn’t improve. That feeling of confidence helped me to start meal prepping again and create my next plan of action. It all comes back to confidence.

How Can I Attain Confidence When I’m Struggling With My Mental Health?

I know that it can be easier said than done when it comes to feeling confident when you are struggling with your mental health. However, it is possible and can even help your mental health like we discussed in the previous section. 

I think the key to feeling confident, no matter what is going on, is in the small everyday confidence-boosting activities. You don’t have to achieve something major, or be having the perfect day, to feel confident. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• Practice blocking out negative thoughts. Better yet, train your brain to think more positive ones. Here is how to do that.
• Exercise: It’s great for both your mind and body.
• Say affirmations daily: Here are some great ones to start with.
• Get off social media: Comparison is a trap and will steal any confident feelings you have.
• Do something you enjoy: This can be anything from dancing around to your favorite playlist or spending time outdoors. Whatever helps you clear your mind from any negativity trying to block your confidence. For example, Jackie likes to get grounded out in nature, “I am a huge fan of connecting with the earth by grounding. I will go out in nature, whether that’s a park, the mountains or the beach and just take it all in, I usually write during that time too. That always seems to raise my vibration.”
• Reframe how you think about confidence: throughout this post I’ve said that anyone can be confident, and I stand by that. Confidence is already yours, you just have to take it. For more confidence-boosting activities, check out this post.

Isn’t it amazing what just a little confidence can do for us? Next time you are having a bad mental health day, try doing a confidence-boosting activity. You may just find that it was what you needed all along.

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