Feeling truly confident in your own skin is a difficult task these days. It almost doesn't come naturally thanks to filters, face-altering apps, and constantly comparing ourselves to what's on our screens. Therefore, we need to make a conscious effort to learn how to feel confident in our own skin. However, as our own harshest critiques, this can be easier said than done. The journey to loving yourself and your skin starts from within. This also means that with the right mindset and self-worth, everybody has the ability to feel confident in their own skin.
To help you on your journey, here's Ameliorate's guide so that you can learn how to feel confident in your own skin.
How to Be Confident in Your Own Skin
Learning how to feel confident in your own skin will not happen overnight, however, each step you take is one closer to a more confident you.
Stop comparing yourself to others
Thomas Roosevelt once said that "comparison is the thief of joy." In learning how to be confident in your own skin, you must first stop comparing yourself to others. This requires some conscious thinking and mind power. When it comes to social media, remember that what you see is the highlight reel. It is the 10th photo re-take, the good hair day, the clean part of the house, and the filtered version of reality. Of course, it's difficult to bear this in mind when being bombarded with images of what appears to be perfection. So, to be confident in your own skin, don't forget that you also have the option to remove the temptation to compare yourself. Unfollow any profile that does not bring you happiness and makes you question your worth.
Cut back on screen time
The amount of time you spend in front of your phone screen can have a direct impact on how confident you feel in your own skin. By endlessly scrolling, you are over-exposing yourself to the media's version of "ideal" skin and bodies. It is rare to see a complexion of blemishes, patches of dryness, or skin with keratosis pilaris appear on our feeds. However, this is not because these aren't real skin concerns experienced by far more than you may think. Instead, it's simply because they are concealed and edited away.
Push yourself out of your comfort zone
The next step to being confident in your own skin is to push yourself out of your comfort zone. You can do this by doing things that make you feel uncomfortable initially. Whether this is going out without makeup and embracing your natural skin to joining a new club. Each time you put yourself out there, you broaden your comfort zone. If you continue to do this you will build your strength and confidence bit by bit. The key is that you do not need a clear, glassy complexion to feel comfortable in your own skin. You can achieve confidence simply by accepting who you are, letting the opinions of others go, and building your personal strength.
Speak to yourself as a friend
The final way how to be confident in your own skin is to speak to yourself the way you would speak to others. If you would never dream of speaking to your friend the way you do to yourself, something needs to change. It's easy to take ourselves for granted. Next time your mind drifts towards an insecurity or weakness, remind yourself of all of your strengths, the same way you would if your friend were to put themselves down.
How to be confident with 'bad' skin
At Ameliorate, we believe that all skin is 'good' skin. So, if you're wondering how to be confident with 'bad' skin, the first step is to remove the correlation that skin concerns are 'bad' or not the norm. As mentioned previously, you can do this by limiting your time on social media, or bearing in mind that what you are seeing is simply not reality.
Once you have done this, try to address what your exact skin concerns are. For example, if you're concerned about face flushes, take a look at our guide to Reduce Facial Redness. There could be a simple solution to your skin concern! On the other hand, feeling confident with acne is easier said than done when your skin is sensitive to touch, irritated and blemishes are painful. To soothe blemish-prone skin, try a Clarifying Facial Cleanser. This cleanser gently cleanses and rebalances the skin to help it feel soothed and hydrated. Follow up with the Blemish Overnight Clearing Therapy which is clinically proven to calm and significantly improve the appearance of blemishes as you sleep.
There is no quick-fix way how to feel confident in your own skin. It takes time, a conscious effort, and patience. However, everyone has the ability to recognise their self-worth! Take the first step today and embrace your natural skin.