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Any woman living in the 21st century will tell you that things have significantly changed, forcing them to get out of their comfort zone. Unlike before, when women were expected to be home builders and nurture beings, things have taken a different route, and today, women are needed to walk hand in hand with men in career matters and other life areas.
Moreover, women continue to face many challenges ranging from finding a balance between family and career, finances, impacts of technology and social media, societal demands, lack of quality education, discrimination, to name a few.
This phenomenon has negatively affected them, forcing many women to lag for fear of being named nagging and unworthy. Nonetheless, many have broken away from societal limitations and gone ahead to do what was perceived as worthy of men.
Their journey has, however, not been easy. They have gone through hell, which has seen many give up, and others fall into depression and self-pity. For instance, many career women have faced a rough time trying to penetrate and stand out in a patriarchal society. Among the many setbacks, they have encountered sexism, racism, lack of representation, discrimination, lack of growth opportunities, and disrespect.
As a result of this, there is an increased level of low self-esteem and depression among women today as they struggle to find a voice and remain submissive in a male-dominated society. Counter this by putting into action the below ten pointers that will boost your confidence and self-importance in the community.
Start by learning the virtue of forgiveness
Your current damaged state of mind may result from painful events you underwent in the past. Moreover, you could feel hopeless due to the many goals and dreams you never got to accomplish.
Despite the source of your despair, take a step of faith towards healing today. It does not matter who wronged you or what you are yet to achieve. Besides, you will do very little with a heavy heart.
Therefore let go and release the pain from your life. You will free your mind of hatred and negative thoughts through forgiveness, such as believing everyone hates and wants to hurt you. Moreover, forgiving yourself and others will help you reduce stress and better take care of yourself.
After forgiving, you will interact positively with others and get a chance to explore what life has in store for you, thus raising your confidence.
Be your own cheerleader
You are at a loss if you are the type that waits for other people’s approval. It is time you learned to support yourself; besides, you might wait forever for someone else to recognize your efforts.
Remember, the 21st century is an era where everybody is busy striving to achieve their dreams; thus, noticing your achievements may never happen.
Love yourself a little more and appreciate your every achievement, no matter how big or small it is. Come up with a plan of what you need to achieve within a certain period and how you plan on achieving it.
Moreover, never be afraid to showcase and talk about what you have managed to achieve in life. Through doing this, you will be able to raise your confidence and challenge yourself to achieve more in the future.
Stay away from negativity
Today’s world is dull and full of negative energy. As such, you must be careful of what you allow into your life. Make a decision today to stay away from any situation that does not add value to your life.
It would be best to do this even if it means cutting close people such as relatives, away from your life.
It doesn’t make sense to spend the entire day with people who will only leave you feeling horrible by reminding you of your incompetence. Be wise and examine people’s intentions in your life.
Lastly, be careful not to limit yourself with your thoughts. To counter this, engage in activities that will help you develop positive and healthy beliefs about yourself.
Advance your education
A good education will give you a chance to debate and contribute to a meeting full of men and other intellectuals. Therefore go ahead and pay for that course you have been postponing for years.
Lack of enough time is one of the hindering factors to women’s advancement of education. The lack of time is because women have many responsibilities in taking care of the family and may lack time to do other things.
However, it would help if you found time to get the proper education to increase your ability to compete and be at par with your male colleagues.
Read widely
Reading is an excellent way to boost your self-worth and knowledge as a modern-day woman. By indulging yourself in books, you will understand what is happening in other parts of the universe. Discovering what others are going through will help you appreciate your situation and help you relax and acknowledge that you are not alone.
Moreover, this exposure will give you knowledge on how to deal with real-life issues. Equally important, reading is a perfect way to keep you engaged and thus distracts negative thoughts.
You will also get to expound your knowledge, communication skills, and marketability through reading widely, which, without doubt, is a must-have tool in boosting confidence and self-esteem.
Improve your physical appearance
How you dress will automatically influence how you feel about yourself and other people’s perception of you. For instance, wearing clothes that portray you as knowledgeable will give you an upper hand because people will treat you with respect and admiration. This will positively raise your self-confidence and birth success.
On the contrary, dressing in uncomfortable attire such as oversized clothes and accessories that leave you feeling like an old rag will affect you negatively.
Therefore, you must study your body and complexion to identify what works best for you. For example, you could be the type that loves rocking short, fitting summer dresses or maxi dresses. Whatever works best for you, go for it. How you feel about yourself will reflect outwardly and influence how the world views you and your self-esteem.
Have time for yourself
You shouldn’t give in to societal expectations of a woman. They will only harm you and hinder you from enjoying what life has to offer. It is healthy to think about yourself once in a while. Furthermore, you are not a slave to spend your entire life taking care of others when there is no one minding your wellbeing.
It is vital that you love and mind your welfare, as well. Therefore, don’t hesitate to dress up and go for that vacation or movie night you have always desired. Work and parenting can wait. Taking a break will help you rejuvenate, feel good about yourself and rediscover your life.
Speak out
You cannot afford to hide in shyness as a 21st-century woman. You need to get out, be bold and voice your concerns in essential matters. Never be afraid to speak out as your views may help someone. Furthermore, there is nobody perfect, and there is always room for improvement.
Speaking one’s mind out is a proven way of raising confidence. Through it, you will let your feelings out and make people understand how you feel concerning specific issues. This is very important as you do not have to coil and hide your sadness, which is a sign of cowardness.
Watch what you eat
Diet has a more significant impact on how you feel about yourself and your moods. This is because food is responsible for the Serotonin hormone’s secretion, which controls one’s confidence and spirits.
To have enough of the serotonin hormone, you must take enough cheese, red or lean meat, vitamin-D rich food, and food rich in carbohydrates.
Moreover, a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids will help fight low moods and depression as it affects the brain’s neurotransmitter pathways. On the other hand, avoid food rich in sugar and caffeine because they will leave you feeling horrible due to mood fluctuations.
Get out of the comfort zone
You will only raise your confidence by taking the step to do that which you perceive as impossible. Moreover, engaging in challenging tasks will provide you with a learning platform and help engage your mind and soul.
The satisfaction and joy from conquering what you once perceived as impossible will raise your self-esteem and confidence.
Never give room to fear or self-doubt in whatever you put your mind to. Believe you can conquer the world, and you will be doing what is traditionally perceived as male roles within no time.
The truth is the world today does not have room for cowards. Concurrently, both men and women are forced to compete for the limited available opportunities.
Confidence and a sound mind top the list of the many necessities required for success. Be ahead of the game by implementing the above ten measures to see you rise to the best of your ability.
