The Modern Woman’s Guide to Confidence and Self-Care
Confidence doesn’t come easy to anyone – but if low confidence were an Olympic sport, the podium would be entirely occupied by women. As a function of unrealistic societal standards, a long-standing history of structural misogyny and baked-in chauvinist attitudes to dress, body and behaviour, women have been figuratively beaten down and held to the light in increasingly unfair ways. Well, for you, it’s time to turn it around.
Self-confidence is not a privilege, as many would like you to see it. It’s your right to feel good about yourself, and why shouldn’t you? As you are, you are incredible – just for being and just for being you. The challenge is showing yourself the truth and becoming comfortable with being the self-confident queen you deserve to be. So, step by step, let’s open the doors to self-confidence and kinder self-treatment.
1. Starting with self-awareness: Understanding your needs
Self-care is a multi-faceted thing, often buzzworded to mean pithy things like ‘having a bath’ or just ‘sleeping’. The reality of self-care goes much deeper and requires you to get a little bit philosophical too.
For instance, before embarking on a self-care journey, it’s crucial for you to reckon with yourself as a self and understand what your personal needs are. What would truly make you feel confident and cared for? Societal conditioning has led us to think certain ways but break through this and you can create a self-care routine that truly benefits you.
2. Confidence and physical health
Ignoring patriarchal influence for a second, there are some significant personal roadblocks to self-confidence that come from inside the house. Physical health is one such roadblock, where personal limitations might get in the way of you living your best life even without considering the impacts of the male gaze on society!
Health check-ups are a highly recommended thing to book semi-regularly, and this goes for sexual health just as much as general check-ups. As a sexually active individual, you don’t need an STI messing with anything – be it your reproductive functions or your mental health. Getting a chlamydia test is low-effort, and can give serious peace of mind.
3. Prioritising mental health: Meditation and mindfulness
This brings us to another internal roadblock, and one which goes together with pretty much everything confidence-related; mental health plays a significant role and should be actively cultivated for a better approach to yourself and your peace. Practices like meditation and mindfulness can help you manage stress, stay present, and build resilience.
These habits are key to nurturing the inner self and fostering confidence, particularly if you’re prone to self-deprecation. Being kind to yourself might feel radical after a lifetime of talking yourself down, but self-compassion is truly essential for building confidence. Embracing the idea that it’s okay to make mistakes and treating yourself with kindness rather than criticism can foster a strong sense of self-worth that endures.
Ultimately, confidence stems from accepting and embracing yourself – in every way. This means accepting and understanding your unique beauty on the inside and out and aggressively petitioning for a positive sense of self against an ever-aggravating societal order. Fight for it!
Top photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash
