It’s hard to feel confident in every challenging situation that you find yourself in. The way you feel about yourself can be determined by a number of different factors including certain negative experiences from your childhood, personality traits, and media representations of beauty and success.
People do a lot of questionable routines in order to improve their confidence, but often overlook their physical health as an important factor.
When you take the time to think about it, you will see that your mind and body are connected in a vast number of ways. When you’re emotionally hurt, you will often turn to junk food and harm your body as well.
On the other hand, when you’re exercising regularly and eating healthy not only does your body look better, but your mind also provides you with positive self-esteem and confidence.
Most people are unaware that the food we eat greatly affects our confidence. Making calculated changes in your diet will help boost your mood, reduce anxiety, and improve self-esteem. In order to feel better, you will need to find the right balance of nutrients.
For example, consuming a lot of carbs will help your brain receive more serotonin, a hormone known for making you feel more confident and relaxed. On the other hand, consuming a lot of caffeine, alcohol and sugar will cause mood fluctuations.
Here is a short list of mood boosting foods that you should start incorporating into your diet:
- Carbohydrates – Carbs are essentially broken down into glucose upon consumption, which is used as the main source of energy in your body. An irregular intake of carbohydrates will make you feel tired and less focused. Some of the best sources of unrefined carbohydrates include fruit, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Foods rich in vitamin B – Vitamin B is known for helping in energy production. People with low levels of vitamin B are often depressed. Some of the best sources of this vitamin include eggs, meat, broccoli, spinach, and dairy products.
- Foods rich in vitamin D – We’ve previously talked about the positive effects of serotonin. In order to increase the levels of this hormone in your brain, you should try consuming more vitamin D. This vitamin is found in yogurt, eggs, cereals, and oily fish.
- Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids – Omega-3 fatty acids are also thought to be able to help prevent bad moods and cure depression. They are mostly found in oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, trout, and sardines.
- Foods rich in selenium – Low selenium levels are often linked with poor mood, which is why you should consume more of this mineral. It is found in various nuts and seeds, whole grains, seafood, and lean meat.
There’s More
Aside from proper nutrition, exercise can also help you improve confidence. Working out regularly will help you have a more positive attitude and will make you feel better both physically and mentally. Aside from that, it will also make you look better, which will help you if you have problems with low self-esteem.
By exercising regularly, you will get stronger with each passing day. When you see all the things your body is now able to achieve, it will definitely improve your confidence. As you complete each workout, you will also experience a sense of accomplishment, which will make you feel good about yourself.
On top of all that, exercise is known both to reduce stress by releasing certain feel-good chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine, while regulating stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol at the same time.
By experiencing less stress on a daily basis, it will be much easier for you to focus on your goals and getting things done.
Knowing that you won’t have to worry about anxiety and stress will ensure you that you are in complete control of your actions and feelings.
