5 Tips to Improve Your Confidence in School

Building confidence is like building a house—you need to start with a strong foundation, then construct everything else from there. It takes time and effort to grow your confidence, especially if you haven’t had the opportunity to prove your skills in the past, but it is something everyone can do! Start strengthening your self-confidence with this how-to guide.

Tips to help build confidence

Genuine self-confidence doesn’t grow from nothing, even though it can sometimes seem as if other people are born with it. Those confident coworkers and friends had to start somewhere! Work toward believing in yourself and your skills one step at a time, starting today, with these five actions.

1. Challenge yourself with tasks you can realistically finish. Every time you successfully complete something, whether that’s trying a new recipe or passing a test you didn’t think you’d do well on, your confidence in your skills grows.

2. Think positively about yourself and your skills. It’s easier said than done, but daily, positive thoughts about what you’re capable of can boost your confidence. Everyone has days when staying positive is tough, but force yourself to remember one good thing you like about who you are every morning until it’s a habit.

3. Stand up for yourself. When you let others put you down or discredit your ideas, it gets harder to believe that you’re awesome. Standing up for yourself in small ways can help you build confidence over time. Explain why you think your idea is the best way to tackle a project at work, or take the lead in a new project you come up with to get started.

4. Do something nice for someone. A random act of kindness doesn’t take a lot of time and making someone else feel good can help you feel great too. Helping an older neighbor by going grocery shopping for them, complimenting someone, or even just holding open a door for the person behind you can make a huge difference in how you feel.

5. Take care of yourself. Focusing on you and what you need sometimes feel like it’s selfish —but it’s not! It’s a necessary part of being human. Taking care of yourself can help you take care of others, but it can also help boost your self-confidence. Easy ways to start include taking a break when you’re overwhelmed, wearing your favorite outfit, or doing something you love.

Work toward being more confident with education.

Learning new skills and sharpening your knowledge in different areas can give you a strong foundation to build up your self-confidence. Through furthering your education, you can pick up the tools that can help you take the next steps toward advancing in your company or even starting a new job. With Penn Foster’s flexible online classes, you can start when you’re ready - all from home. If you’re not sure what courses could be the best fit for you, reach out to our admissions specialists at 1-888-427-6500!