Negative Self-Image: 8 tips to learn to convert your negative thoughts

We all have a time period when we are not feeling very well. In those periods, you prefer not to look at yourself in the mirror because it does not make you feel good.

Your thoughts are more negative than positive at those times.

What if you have this very often? What do you do when you have a negative self-image, and this affects your daily life?

Of course, you want to get rid of this low self-image.

In this article, I will give you tips on how to increase your confidence so that you can work on your uncertainty.

What is a negative self-image?

A self-image is an image you have of yourself. So in the case of a negative self-image, you have negative thoughts about yourself.

You feel inferior to others. It is the voice in your head that brings you down because you compare yourself with others, and that makes you feel insecure.

You mistakenly look up to other people.

How does a negative self-image develop?

The image you have of yourself arises from the things you experience in your life. But also how do you handle situations, and what do you learn from them?

For example, you may have been bullied at school or never learned to stand up for yourself.

Perhaps you were always told that you were not smart enough, not beautiful enough or that you could not do things.

This all affects your self-image. If negative things have often been said to you and you have never learned to be above them, then you are going to believe those things.

These negative statements can continue to affect you later in life.

You are not born with a negative self-image.

No one is born with low self-esteem. Just look at a baby. A baby is curious and goes on an adventure.

They regularly do things that are not allowed, which causes them to be reprimanded.

The difference with adults is that they don’t care because they still approach the world with positivity.

They just try again. A baby is not insecure. They develop themselves through trial and error.

As a baby, you, too, were confident and went for a goal. You were enterprising and did not let anything stop you.

“It’s not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life, it’s what you whisper to yourself that has the most power!”
― Robert T. Kiyosaki

If you wanted something, you went for it. You did not feel inferior. You couldn’t say the word failure, so you didn’t do anything.

If something didn’t work, you just tried again until it worked.

This is good news for you because you now know that you were no longer born there.

If you have been addressed by others or by yourself, you can also unlearn it.

You can learn to think positively about yourself again, just like when you were a baby.

Everything you think about yourself has to do with Mindset.

To learn the right Mindset or the right thoughts again, I advise you to read the book Mindset By Carol Dweck

Contrary to the title that leads you to believe, this is a great book. It will give you a lot of clarity and a lot of handles.

You stop yourself by maintaining a negative self-image

If your life is negatively affected by a negative self-image, it is time to take action.

You prevent yourself from living the life you want because you don’t dare.

If you do not set yourself a goal to do something to increase your self-image, you will always stay in your comfort zone.

If you are satisfied with your comfort zone and do not want to work on more self-confidence, that is, of course, ok, but you can do so much more.

I’m assuming when you read this that you want to get started first to get rid of your negative self-image.

Second, you are willing to do something for it. You are probably not satisfied with yourself anymore, and you are tired of being insecure.

Curl up in a corner and dare not give your own opinion. You want to stand up for yourself and feel good about yourself.

If you want to change low self-esteem so you can do what you want, now is the time to do something about it.

Of course, you will have to work on it yourself because no one else can do it for you. If you want changes in your life, it’s up to you.

Believe me. You, too, can make your dream life yourself and overcome your insecurity.

People with negative self-image often have the problem that they overthink so that they keep worrying.

What will they think of me? Am I sure I can’t do it? Maybe you recognize this in yourself?

You keep grinding and hanging in negative thoughts.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

This will now be further to help you get rid of your negative self-image. It will not change in 1 day, but with the tips below, you will go a long way.

Take the time to work on yourself. You also did not get your negative self-image in one day, but do not let it hinder your life and go for it.

Time for action to convert a negative self-image into a positive self-image.

Are you ready for it?

Take paper and pen with you and read on.

Tips for moving from a negative self-image to more self-confidence.

1. Write down what makes you consider yourself inferior.

Are they things that have been talked to you by others. Stuff you’ve talked to yourself about?

Don’t you think you are beautiful enough?

Do you find yourself too fat, too thin, ugly?

Does your low self-image enter you through your appearance or thoughts?

Write down as much as possible.

Take the time for this exercise.

Write as extensively as possible. You may remember the names of people who hurt you or situations in which you felt so insecure that it hurt.

You can always save this page to your favourites, save it to Facebook or Pinterest so that you can come back later for the next step.

The important thing is that you take the time to do this first step.

Writing down your feelings of inferiority can be very emotional. Is this the case? It doesn’t make your tears roll.

These feelings need to be removed so that you are ready to take the next step.

2. What do you want to change first to let go of your negative self-image?

In step 1, you wrote down everything so that you feel inferior. Now you go on your list of what you think is the most important thing to change.

Make for yourself a Top 5 of things that most hinder you in your life.

3. What would you like to change that you currently don’t dare or that you think you can’t?

Look at your Top 5 and write down why you don’t dare or why you think you can’t.

Maybe you are afraid of other people’s reactions?

Do you think you do not have the perseverance to change something?

Just write it down as extensively as possible in step 1.

4. Set a goal for yourself to work on your confidence and get rid of your negative thought.

Choose the first thing you want to do from your top 5. Remember, there is no failure like the baby, as I mentioned earlier.

You will develop yourself to be strong in your shoes again. You are going to change your life by standing up for yourself.

To set your goal well, divide it into steps.

Let’s look at this example:

You want to stand up for yourself (problem) so that you become more resilient. You don’t want to run over you anymore (goal).

The first step you take is working on your self-confidence (step 1).

The next time someone says something, you don’t like, take a deep breath to calm down (step 2).

You look at that person without looking angry (step 3) and say you don’t like that he/she says this, and it hurts you (step 4).

Speak out yourself. Try not to blame it, but stay calm.

This works the same way if, for example, you dare not say anything at a meeting at work, but you want to.

Pay close attention to your attitude when giving someone feedback. Don’t get hostile, look at that person and don’t turn your head.

Some people are afraid. After all, they turn red because they are insecure. Just let it happen.

The more you practice this, the less you will be ashamed of yourself.

It will always increase your confidence when you have stood up for yourself, although it is scary to do at first.

5. Give yourself compliments

If you have done something right or have taken a step towards your goal, compliment yourself.

Maybe it feels weird to congratulate yourself at first, but it works. It is even better to compliment yourself while standing in front of the mirror and looking at yourself.

Smile and give yourself a sense of pride.

“Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” — Louise L. Hay

Your conscious mind and your subconscious register this positive thought, and as you know, your subconscious remembers everything.

The negative thinking has created your low self-image. If you put positive thoughts in front of yourself and repeat this regularly, your brain will also remember this.

It sounds strange, but it works like that.

6. Change your attitude

If you have low self-esteem and you want to overcome your insecurity, it is also essential to pay attention to your posture.

Many insecure people also radiate this by cringing and looking down. You often recognize a weak person.

Pay attention to this. Walk straight up and look at you with your head held high.

If you teach yourself this, you will already see that people look at you differently than that you walk your head down.

If you look up to certain people yourself because you admire them for their self-confidence, consider their attitude.

These people walk upright and look at people. Even if you are unsure, this attitude gives you more confidence.

7. Keep working on your goal to gain confidence.

Once you have mastered your Top 5, you can proceed to the next items on your list.

In this way, you learn to think positively about yourself so that your negative self-image decreases.

Remember that you will have to keep working on it until you have processed all your negative thoughts about yourself (talked or not).

I hope I have been able to help you with these tips and persevere so that you can overcome your uncertainty.

Don’t let your thoughts about yourself limit yourself because you are so much more than your negative thoughts.

Work on a positive self-image and increase your confidence because you are worth it.