How to gain back LOST CONFIDENCE.

(By eHow Health Editor)

Confidence is not something you are born with. Self-confidence is gained through experiencing small successes in life. Even though feelings of failure or feeling overwhelmed can take a direct hit at your confidence level, you can build it back up. Here are some tips to gain back lost confidence.

Step1

Look at the areas of your life where you feel confident versus where you lack confidence. Write down the areas of your life where you feel you need to build your confidence.

Step2

Examine yourself honestly. Was there a particular experience or a particular person that caused you to feel less confident?

Step3

Surround yourself with positive people. If your confidence level takes a nose dive when you are around certain people, avoid those people if possible. Instead, interact with people that give and demand a high level of respect.

Step4

Redefine your personal boundaries. If certain situations are clearly what causes you to doubt yourself or feel insecure, don't participate until you feel more safe and secure.

Step5

Volunteer some of your time to an effort you care about. This is a great way to add to your confidence. You will gain some insight as to how valuable and worthy you are when you give to others. It really is true, you sometimes get back far more than you give.

Step6

Seek the advise of a mentor or role model. This would be someone who has overcome many of his own obstacles or setbacks and carries himself with a high level of confidence. This person can provide you with some positives for you to build on yourself.

Step7

Set some very realistic goals that can be achieved in a short time-frame. Completing these goals successfully will add to your confidence level so that you can continue to build on this new-found confidence.

Step8

Make affirmations a part of your daily routine. Affirmations are positive statements that you focus on for a particular day. These should be written and said in present tense, and you should focus on believing what you say even if it isn't 100 percent true yet!

Tips & Warnings

• Don't compare yourself to others to highlight your shortcomings.
• Nobody is perfect, so don't make perfection your goal. The goal is to feel good about yourself in your own skin and being true to yourself.
• Get involved in an activity or exercise program. This is great for the body and mind.
• There is a difference between confidence and arrogance!
• Be realistic in your expectations - what you expect from yourself as well as what you expect from others.