Do you tend to be the quiet type and you’re tired of feeling insecure around people?
If so, we’re going to talk about the best confidence-building exercises for introverts.
This is the exact same advice that I teach to our clients in our social skills coaching program.
This stuff works so make sure you pay close attention.
What You'll Learn In This Post
How Can Introverts Gain Confidence?
1. Get To Know Yourself Better
Due to a lack of awareness, most people confuse introversion with shyness.
They’re definitely not the same, so allow me to clarify what the difference is.
Introversion is a personality type, just like extroversion.
If someone is introverted, that means they tend to lose energy from socializing too much.
If someone is extroverted, that means they recharge by interacting with others.
On the other hand, when someone is shy, that means they’re afraid of talking to people.
That being said, introverts can be social in the same way that some extroverts can be timid as well.
Does that make sense?
Check out this video if you want to know how to be socially attractive as an introvert.
If you want to know how to like yourself as an introvert, you don’t need to be someone that you’re not.
You just need to work on overcoming your shyness and becoming more outgoing.Now imagine if you didn’t know this.
You’ll probably assume that there’s something wrong with you and you might even compare yourself unfavourably to others.
And if you keep doing that, then you’ll lower your self-esteem and you’ll always feel like you’re not enough. That’s why developing self-awareness is one of the best confidence-building exercises that I know.
If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you take an online personality test.
Doing so will help you understand your natural tendencies.
As a result, you’ll be able to put yourself in situations where you’re more likely to thrive.
You’ll also be able to work on your weaknesses in a more strategic way.
This will help you make progress and see results a lot faster.
2. Have Positive Self-Talk
From what I’ve noticed, most people who struggle socially speak to themselves in a very demeaning way.
This is especially true whenever they make a mistake or if they don’t get the results that they’re hoping for.
That’s why they always feel terrible about themselves and get discouraged really easily.
How do I know?
Because I used to do the exact same thing.
Before I got into self-development, I used to be my own worst critic.
As a result, I would always seek validation from others so I can make myself feel good.
And when people won’t approve of me, I’d take it personally and get really upset.
If this sounds like you, I want to ask you a question.
If you talk to others the way you talk to yourself right now, would you still have friends?
If the answer is “no,” then that needs to change right away.
If you want to know how to gain confidence as an introvert, start treating yourself better.
And the easiest way to do that is to practice positive self-talk.
For example, if you did a good job on something, make sure you praise yourself for it.
Be your own cheerleader and celebrate yourself often.
On the other hand, if you mess something up, forgive yourself right away.
Tell yourself that it’s all good.
Remind yourself that you took the best action with the information that you have.
If you knew better, you would’ve done things differently, right?
Keep in mind that the relationship that you have with yourself will determine your relationship with others.
When you like who you are, then you won’t put up with any negative treatment from those around you.
You’ll prevent toxic people from coming into your life because you know what you’re worth.
3. Think Of Your Past Achievements
Remember, you get exactly what you think about the most.
That’s why you have to be mindful of what you’re focusing on.
You see, before I learned about this, I had a bad habit of ruminating all the time.
In fact, I would replay embarrassing things that I did in the past over and over again.
It’s no wonder I felt so terrible about myself.
It wasn’t until I realized that I could improve my self-image by being more aware of what I was thinking about.
That’s when I started meditating more which helped me become more aware of my thoughts.
I also started journaling more about my past achievements.
And after doing it for a while, I noticed a significant improvement in my mood.
I get out of a funk a lot faster and it’s easy for me to feel more motivated.
I started to think that if I could do all the things that I did before, I could probably do more challenging tasks as well.
And because of that mindset, I felt more capable which will helped me put myself out there more and more.
4. Present Yourself Well
You see, it’s one thing to be the quiet type.
But, if you also look unfriendly then that’s going to be an issue.
It doesn’t matter how good your intentions are because if you don’t know how to present yourself well then you might be sending out the wrong message to those around you.
That’s why you have to be more mindful of how you’re coming across.
In fact, this is one of the simplest confidence-building exercises that you can implement.
That being said, I want to remind you that nobody can read your mind.
So whether you like it or not, your appearance really does make a big difference.
Your style, body language, and overall demeanor are the first few things people see.
Again, that’s why you really need to pay attention to this.
For starters, put in the effort to dress well.
Make sure your clothes are clean, well-fitting, and appropriate for the occasion.
Remember to do your hair, use skin care and also groom your facial hair.
To appear more friendly, make a conscious effort to adopt an open body language.
Stand up straight, maintain proper eye contact, and have a genuine smile on your face.
Also, whatever you do, avoid crossing your arms or legs.
If you do, you’ll come across like you don’t want to be bothered.
On the other hand, when you look approachable, people will assume positive things about you.
They’ll be a lot more open to hear what you have to say and your interactions will go a lot smoother.
You’ll come across as someone more trustworthy and you’ll be able to build rapport with others much faster.
5. Get In Good Shape
I’m not proud to admit it but when I was younger, I used to be massively overweight.
Standing at only 5’5”, I tipped the scale at 200 lbs and I also had a 36-inch waist.
Back then, I didn’t really care much about my health.
All I did was play video games and I also ate a lot of junk food.
It wasn’t until I got to high school that this became an issue for me.
Because of how I looked, none of the girls that I liked ever felt the same way about me.
I got rejected a lot and I started to feel unwanted.
Frustrated with being single, I started paying attention to the types of guys who were getting a lot of dates.
Very quickly, I noticed that they were all in shape.
So, that same day, I signed up for a gym membership at the YMCA close to where I lived.
Check out this podcast interview with Matt Reynolds from Barbell Logic where he talks about how working out helps you mentally.
Speaking from experience, getting in shape is hands down one of the best confidence-building exercises that I know.
Not only does working out and eating well make you healthy, you’ll start to feel good about yourself as well.
Not to mention, when you’re in shape, you’ll have a better posture and your clothes will fit you so much better.
On top of that, the character traits that you develop like consistency, patience, and discipline will carry over to other areas of your life.
If you’re not doing it already, I highly recommend you start a health and fitness routine today.
How Do Introverts Speak With Confidence?
Learning how to express yourself verbally is one of the best confidence-building exercises for introverts.
Why?
Because in order to thrive in any area of your life, you need to be able to influence those around you.
When you can articulate your thoughts effectively, you’ll make more friends, get quality dates, and advance in your career much faster.
From what I’ve noticed, those who struggle socially just lack awareness and experience talking to people.
This is definitely the case with a lot of our clients in our social skills coaching program.
Most of them tend to be the quiet type and also have careers in tech.
They find it hard to talk to people because nobody taught them how and they also have limited opportunities to socialize.
If this sounds like you, just realize that you can figure out how to be more socially confident if you’re willing to.
You just have to learn about it and practice the right things over and over again.
Tired Of Feeling Lonely?
If you’re struggling socially and would like some help, let’s connect.
To help you get started, think of some of the most common topics that tend to come up in your day-to-day life.
Brainstorm some stories that you can share and start having brief interactions with those around you.
For example, instead of just ordering coffee and leaving, extend the conversation with the barista.
Instead of listening to music or podcasts, take off your headphones and talk to your Uber driver.
You can do the same with the janitor, the receptionist, or the security guard in your building.
When you practice telling your stories in easier settings first, there’s less pressure on yourself to get things right immediately.
Even if you mess things up, which you will, the consequences wouldn’t be so bad.
Not to mention, this will give you lots of positive reference experiences.
You’ll realize that talking to people isn’t as scary as you make it out to be.
As a result, you’ll feel a lot more confident interacting with people during moments that really count.
How To Overcome Social Anxiety As An Introvert
Before I figured out how to be more outgoing, I used to be very self-conscious.
Whenever I’d be out and about, I’d be so concerned about what others thought of me.
It got so bad to the point where if someone looked at me a few seconds too long, I’d automatically think they were making fun of me.
I’m especially even more nervous when I’m around someone who I found attractive or intimidating.
I’d so afraid of saying or doing the wrong things that I ended up just keeping to myself.
That’s why I freeze up whenever I’m in those situations which would make whoever I’m with really uncomfortable.
It wasn’t until I heard about exposure therapy that things began to turn around for me.
Basically, I started gradually putting myself in social situations that terrified me.
From Shy To Social
Discover proven steps to approach and talk to anybody no matter how shy you are.
Back then, I used to be so scared of talking to beautiful women.
So, what I did was I just started interacting with members of the opposite sex in general.
It didn’t matter how old they were and how they looked as long as they were not another dude.
Over time, I started to realize that nothing really bad happens when I do that.
As a result, I felt encouraged to take it even further and tried to banter with them.
After doing this for a while, I’m at a point now where I feel like I could just be myself no matter who I’m speaking with.
If you want to know one of the most effective confidence-building exercises for introverts, stop playing it safe.
Confront your fears and step outside of your comfort zone.
By doing so, you’ll be able to manage your anxiety better which will make you feel more at ease in any situation.
Conclusion
I just shared with you the best confidence-building exercises for introverts.
Feel free to go through them again and implement them as much as you can.
And now, let’s turn it to you.
Which one of these tips are you going to implement first?
Are you going to work on having positive self-talk or on presenting yourself well?
Send me a message on Instagram and let me know.