6 tips to boost your confidence

If you need a pick-me-up, check out these 6 tips to boost your confidence… As ladies, it’s time to talk about confidence! It’s no secret that young women today enjoy more freedoms and equality in their careers and relationships than their mothers’ generation, but new research has revealed we are actually more lacking in confidence and self-esteem than older women were when they were the same age.

A new cross generational study conducted by Weight Watchers has revealed that over half of women aged 18-30 do not currently consider themselves to be confident, while women aged 50-65 are a third more positive about themselves than their younger counterparts. ‘It is clear that women today are far harder on themselves in all aspects of life than their mothers’ generation was,’ says Zoe Griffiths, head of public health and programme at Weight Watchers. ‘From careers and relationships to the way they look, women today are pushing themselves to exceed in every way.’

And there seemed to be a resounding element impacting these statistics: body confidence. While young women reported higher degrees of confidence in their relationships and professional capabilities than their mother’s generation did at their age, less than 10 per cent of 18-30 year olds said they felt confident about their bodies. This was further supported by the result that young women place more than four times more emphasis on physical improvement by working on their health and fitness. However, a mere 5 per cent of these women said they were happy about their body and 47 per cent stated that their body was the area of their life they were unhappiest about.

Why could this be? ‘The UK is seeing rising rates of obesity in young women, which can contribute to decreased body confidence and lead to lower mood levels, so it is unsurprising that these findings indicate young women today are feeling far less confident in their bodies than the older generation did at the same age,’ explains Dr Katy Tapper, senior lecturer in psychology at City University London. But others think the rise of the selfie and the culture of social media is to blame, with over half of the older generation concurring that the pressure to look good is more prevalent today.

So what can be done? Our philosophy at WHL is to move, eat and smile, so we jumped at the chance to team up with Zoe Griffiths to bring you some top tips in building confidence and being kind to the most important woman in your life: yourself!

Raw vulnerability

They talk about embracing your imperfections, but how many of us actually do? Raw vulnerability is all about eliminating shame and building stronger relationships with others by accepting our flaws as much as we accept our assets. ‘This is the encouragement to be honest about who you are, your anxieties and vulnerabilities,’ says Zoe. ‘We all have them and acknowledging them in ourselves will help other people feel less alone and, in turn, help ourselves feel less alone. Through this, the unrealistic pressures we place on ourselves will ease.’

Find your thing

There’s nothing worse than competing with others and feeling like you’re losing the race. Wouldn’t it be great if we could stop comparing and instead just do our own thing? Confidence in who you are will lead to body confidence. ‘We live in a time of intense competition, so rather than trying to compete on someone else’s terms, find something that resonates with you; something that you excel at,’ advises Zoe. ‘The greatest asset a woman can have is recognising and being proud of what makes her, her.’

Reframe ‘weaknesses’ as strengths

We all have weaknesses but it’s how we use these that changes the confidence game. For example, values such as empathy, collaboration and flexibility – values that some may regard as weaknesses – are now being identified as the key values for success and growth in business. ‘Take these traditionally feminine traits and champion them,’ says Zoe. ‘Don’t consider them weaknesses, consider them strengths that you naturally own and can use to benefit from in a professional setting.’

Radical body honesty

In order for confidence to grow, we need to normalise the shared female experience and encourage self-acceptance. ‘Accept compliments head on – say thanks and don’t follow it up with a caveat that puts yourself back down,’ explains Zoe. ‘Women today are very self-deprecating when they shouldn’t be. In fact, women will give others compliments they wouldn’t ever give themselves – why is that? Always celebrate yourself and your best assets.’

Find your people

Being surrounded by the wrong or right people will have such an effect on your confidence levels. After all, every girl knows it can take just one negative comment for our confidence levels to plummet, even if we woke up feeling like Beyoncé that day. ‘Make sure you’re surrounding yourself with the right group of people, both on and offline,’ says Zoe. ‘Your social circle greatly influences the way you think, and positivity breeds more positivity. Removing negative people from your life is a way of being kind to yourself.’

Replenish yourself

It is now said that 53 per cent of women sacrifice me-time when they are busy. But people – women and men – don’t realise how important this time is! ‘Many women will put nearly everybody else before themselves, which leads to not taking the time and space needed to top up their energy levels and process how they feel,’ explains Zoe. ‘Me-time is a much needed and positive step to help reverse the negative conversation women have with themselves. Look at me-time like an investment in yourself.’

The research by Weight Watchers was conducted as part of #WomanKind, a nationwide campaign that explores why modern women are unkind to themselves and how they can counter this habit. For more info, visit weightwatchers.com/uk/womankind