How to Be Proud of Yourself

Pride and confidence in yourself comes from a solid self-esteem, the optimistic belief you hold in yourself, your talents and achievements. Low self-esteem can make you feel bad about yourself. Low self-esteem also makes it harder to be proud of yourself, and can even cause serious mental problems. ^{[1] X Trusted Source Mind Go to Source} To boost your ability to feel proud of yourself, you can use simple strategies to challenge negative thoughts and build confidence .

Table of Contents

Challenging negative thinking

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Identify the things you are grateful for. Comparing yourself to others is a common type of negative thinking. This can make it harder to feel proud of yourself. If you find yourself comparing yourself to others, then stop for a moment and identify the things that you are grateful for that can help. ^{[2] X Research Source}

For example, when looking for something to be grateful for, you might find yourself healthy or having a loyal friend. Focus on this or this person for a few minutes to bring yourself to a more positive mindset. Consider why you feel grateful for this or this person.
Keep a journal of the things you feel you need to be grateful for every day. Over time, this can help you develop a more positive mindset.

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Avoid negative thoughts. Sometimes a small change in the scenery can help you stop negative thoughts. If you’ve been stuck in a negative rut for a while, get up and go somewhere.

For example, you could try going for a walk outside or sitting in another room in the house for a while. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
Ask yourself if those negative thoughts are rooted in the expectations or criticisms of others. If that’s the case, remind yourself that you are the last to distinguish between what is wrong and what is right.

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Remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes negative thoughts can arise from the belief that you are at fault and others are not. Try to remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes, even when you can’t see them. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

For example, a coworker who shares the same office with you may seem to have it all, but she may be dealing with serious personal problems that you know nothing about.
Don’t beat yourself up about your mistakes. Even if there are things that you would like to change about yourself, there is no point in agonizing over it.

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Stand up for yourself. No one has the right to hurt, insult, or threaten you. If you are being bullied or criticized in ways that hinder your pride, you may need to talk to someone like a teacher, counselor, or human resources manager to stand up for yourself. me.

Remember that people who bully or criticize others often do so because they feel insecure about themselves. Understanding that your bully may be berating yourself for their own pain and problems can help you cope better. ^{[5] X Research Sources} Criticism is not so much about you, but about their feelings of inadequacy.

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Learn to accept constructive criticism. While you should defend yourself against insults, it’s important to be open to constructive criticism. Criticism can be hard to hear, even if it’s constructive. Learning to acknowledge and respond to constructive criticism can help you improve yourself, and this can be a great source of pride. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Try to refrain from reacting at first when you receive criticism. Thank that person. Then, tacitly face what they said in their heads. Spend a day or two thinking about the criticism. Wondering what you can learn from that critique?
Let’s say you get an essay back from a professor. You are sad to only get a C- and the comment says “the idea is hard to understand.” Instead of getting angry, reread the essay with a clear head. When you write it it seems clear. So will it still make sense when you read it a second time? Try to understand the criticism instead of setting it aside.

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Turn negative thoughts into effective questions. Obviously, worst-case thinking doesn’t make sense or good for you, but you can turn negative thoughts into effective questioning, and this will help you grow and succeed. The next time you have a negative thought, try to turn it into a question to achieve your goal.

For example, if you find yourself thinking, “I’ll never find a new job,” stop and challenge that thought. It’s not real, and it stems from something unrealistic (your anxiety). Instead of accepting this negative thought, turn it into a question, such as, “What can I do to give myself the best chance of getting an interview?” ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Stay away from negative people. Keep your distance from people who criticize and oppose you. If possible, try to avoid this person and surround yourself with optimists. Sometimes it’s hard to avoid a negative person, like your boss or a close family member. In these situations, you need to prepare yourself before and after meeting the person. ^{[8] X Trusted Source Simply Psychpogy Go to Source}

Try to tell yourself something positive. Before or after meeting someone you don’t want to see, it can be beneficial to look in the mirror and compliment yourself. For example, you could say something like, “I’m smart, competent, and hardworking!”

Build yourself

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Visualize your success. This method of visualizing your own success at something can also help boost your confidence. Try to think of a time when you really felt confident and recreate that moment in your head. If not, imagine your success at something you hope to achieve. You can repeat this process every time you need more confidence.

Make sure you imagine your success with as much detail as possible. What do you look like? Who was with you at that time? What will you say? ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Stand up straight and walk confidently. The way you move your body can make a big difference in how confident you feel. ^{[10] X Research Source} Try to stand up straight and maintain good posture even when walking. To maintain good posture, you can imagine that you are balancing something overhead as you move.

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Dress. How you feel about your appearance can affect your confidence, so wear clothes that make you feel confident about your appearance. ^{[11] X Research Source} Choose clothes that fit, flatter your figure, and are of good quality.

Try to dress appropriately for the situation. For example, if you have an interview coming up, a suit or business outfit will help you feel more confident than wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

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Keep a diary of your successes. Focusing on the good things in your life can help you feel more confident and happy. Take a few minutes each day to write down the good things that happen to you. For example, you could write about a recent accomplishment and the skills you used to handle difficult situations. ^{[12] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

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Make a list of your strengths and successes. It can help you to make a list of all your successes, even the small ones. People with low self-esteem often focus more on failure than on success, so sometimes it helps to force yourself to look at the positives. ^{[13] X Research Source}

Think about why you are proud of these successes. Identifying why something makes you feel proud can help you be proud of another similar success. ^{[14] X Research Source}

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Share your successes from time to time. Telling others about the things you do that make you feel proud is a useful way to show your pride and gain support from others. Take the time to share your successes once in a while, and you’ll feel better about yourself and forget what other people think of you. ^{[15] X Research Source}

For example, you could post a picture of yourself receiving an award for good academic performance, or tell your friends at the gym that you’ve increased your running speed.

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Use hope phrases to encourage yourself. Try to be kind to yourself instead of blaming yourself all the time. For example, if you’re going to have a presentation that makes you nervous, don’t say things like, “I’m going to fail.” Instead, tell yourself things like, “This is going to be hard, but I know I can handle it.” ^{[16] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

At the same time, remember that you are probably being more hard on yourself than you need to be. For example, you might blame yourself for missing a presentation, but your colleagues won’t mind and won’t even know it. ^{[17] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

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Forgive yourself. Remember that it is important to forgive yourself when you make a mistake. Refusing to forgive yourself can prevent you from being proud of yourself, so try to forgive yourself as soon as you can. ^{[18] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}

For example, instead of blaming yourself, try saying something like, “I made a mistake, but it’s okay. I am still a smart and capable person.”

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Encourage yourself to do better. To be proud of yourself even when things don’t go your way, you’ll need to get in the habit of encouraging yourself. If something doesn’t go according to your plan, try to readjust your expectations and motivate yourself to do better next time.

For example, if one of your school projects isn’t getting the grade you want, you can tell yourself something like, “My project isn’t perfect, but the other students are still interested and ask yourself questions. That means I have achieved my basic goal.” ^{[19] X Research Source}
Be patient with yourself. It takes time for you to change yourself, so take it one step at a time.

Steps

Challenging negative thinking

Build yourself

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