Confidence Building

Low confidence is often seen in the shape of shyness. In its more extreme form, it is known as social phobia. To put things into perspective, we have all felt shy at some time or another, most often when we were younger. Asking someone to go out with us, making a complaint, standing up in the classroom to read aloud, for example, can all promote shyness. Shyness can be part of a personality type. If we are more introverted, than extroverted, we might appear to be shy, blush easily, and have poor posture. As we grow older and gain more experience, for some, social skills help us to overcome this shyness and lack of confidence. However, for others, these skills have not been taught, and for some, learning social skills has proven to be less than straightforward.

Whichever way you view lack of confidence, it is clear that to overcome it, we must change our behaviour. By practicing new behaviours they eventually become as natural as the old behavioural style. They become implicit behaviours.

Low confidence may not always be present in all situations. We often find ourselves confident in some situations, while in others we are anxious, shy and awkward. Our thoughts (cognitions) can be what is getting in the way of us being confident in most situations. By evaluating the way we think about ourselves in different situations, and by trying out new ways of acting, we can improve our self-confidence.