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What is confidence?

Confidence is about feeling sure of yourself and your abilities:

  • You might feel confident in some parts of your life but not in others.
  • Sometimes you might feel like you want to be more confident.
  • Sometimes you might feel like everyone around you is more confident than you are.

Remember, we don't really know how other people feel on the inside. Even the most confident people get nervous sometimes.

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Video 鈥 Advice on building confidence

Wellbeing professional, Lorna Walker, explains how you can build your confidence by being kind to yourself and learning that it's okay to make mistakes.

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Activity 鈥 Making mistakes

Try Lorna's practical wellbeing activity to help you build your confidence.

If you are struggling with confidence in some parts of your life, it might be helpful to think about:

  • how you treat yourself when you make a mistake
  • compare this to how you would treat a friend who made a mistake

Step one

  • Think about the last time you made a mistake.
  • How did you think about yourself when you made that mistake?
  • Maybe making mistakes makes you hard on yourself, critical or embarrassed.

Step two

Now, think about what you would say to a friend who made a mistake.

Maybe you would say to your friend:

  • "Don't worry."
  • "It's okay."
  • "It鈥檚 a good way to learn."
  • "I'm proud of you for trying."

Notice how kind you would be to your friend. Compare this to how you treated yourself.

Think about how much better you might feel if you thought about your own mistakes in the same way.

You can build your confidence by being kind to yourself, just like you would a friend, and learning that it's okay to make mistakes.

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More to learn 鈥 Confidence

Learn more about the power of making mistakes and how to build your confidence and self-esteem.

What is a good mistake? video

An animated clip exploring how to think positively about making mistakes.

What is a good mistake?

Moodboosters: Boost. collection

Videos and resources designed to build confidence and self-esteem.

Moodboosters: Boost

Tips for how to boost your confidence

Tiwalola Ogunlesi talks through her top tips for how to boost your confidence.

Tips for how to boost your confidence
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More on Mental and emotional wellbeing

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