Confidence is never a state to be mastered, but a fire to be kindled. For example, it’s easy to feel less confident if we’re neglected to leave our apartment for a week due to coping with the flu, as it takes us out of the general swing of life to the extent we may have been most comfortable with. Finding your confidence again, then, is not necessarily something to feel bad about taking part in.

What matters is that you’re taking improved steps to come back to yourself while growing as much as you can. That being said, this journey is not always the easiest one to follow. It can be very challenging in fact, particularly if we have obstacles in our way. What matters is knowing that you can fight this difficulty no matter how hard it seems in the current moment, and keeping that to the heart may help you avoid a nihilistic attitude.

If you can lose confidence, you can also gain it. With the following advice, we hope you’ll know that more than ever:

Make No Apologies For Yourself

Make no apologies for who you are or what you’re interested in. If you’re trying your best to come back from bad habits in the past, don’t be afraid to find satisfaction in your everyday efforts. Do not surround yourself with those who lambast you or wish to see your progress stunted. The more you can become your real and best self, the more you can avoid the noxious attitudes that keep you down and the less you’ll entertain those willing to see you struggle without merit.

Building Your Independence Again

Building your independence once more can be a vital strategy when hoping to restore your daily lived experience to something you’re used to. This might be found through sustained help, such as an intensive outpatient program helping you get back on your feet after suffering the throes of addiction. When you find yourself gaining more authority over yourself and feel more autonomous in everyday life, the more you’ll credit yourself for making healthier decisions. This can become addictive in itself, but it’s a positive set of continual habits, such as sober living, sleeping well, and exercising. Goodness knows how healthy this can help you feel over time.

Keep Trying With Persistence

You never fail if you struggle or have an off day or week. You fail when you give up. Trying again is important because even if you mess up, persistence can help you continually learn from your errors and it may help you become stronger next time. Starting a new lifestyle isn’t easy, but it can be tremendously worth the effort. Over time you will learn more about yourself than you could have ever considered, and that in itself may grant you the chance to be optimistic once more. But first, you have to rely on your own attempts to move forward time and time again.