It’s no secret being a woman is not always easy. We tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be “perfect”, whatever that means. Not only do we put pressure on ourselves, but we also tend to succumb to negative self-talk when we don’t reach the level of perfection, we think we should’ve achieved.

I was constantly getting frustrated with myself for not living up to what I thought I should be. And by not reaching those goals, it reiterated my negative self-talk that I would never reach those goals. Until I found mindfulness meditation.

Realizing I needed a shift, or I would never break out of the cycle of low self-confidence, I started dabbling in meditation. This was a gamechanger for me.

I’d read how meditation and mindfulness practices could alleviate stress and reduce anxiety, which I also needed help with. But I didn’t how much it could elevate my self-esteem.

By consistently practicing mindfulness meditation every morning, my brain is gradually rewiring itself to indulge in more positive self-talk. I now catch myself when I start to spiral in negative self-talk and can remind myself faster that I am not those thoughts. When challenges arise, it’s easier for me now to believe in my abilities to conquer those challenges.

Currently my favorite mindfulness meditation practices for confidence building are using affirmations and visualizing.

My practice is 15 minutes in the morning. Typically, I take several deep breaths to start to get centered. I use and absolutely love this meditation cushion set (it’s the only way I can stay seated for 15 minutes on the floor), so I have a designated space for my practice. This helps me get into the mindset for meditation quicker, like the advice to only use your bed for sleep. This helps your brain to know faster what its supposed to be doing in this space.

After getting comfortable on my cushion with my eyes closed and my palms facing up, I will then incorporate my affirmations.

With each inhale I say an affirmation in my mind and with each exhale I say another one. I personally like working with a few different affirmations during a meditation practice to help keep me focused. One becomes too redundant and my mind starts to wonder.

My current favorite affirmations are:

• I am an artist
• I am creative
• My self-love is unshakeable
• I trust myself and my decisions
• I believe in myself
• I am capable of validating and reassuring myself

I might not use all of these during one meditation session, but I will use at least two to four of them, whichever ones are resonating with me more that day. That’s one of my favorite things about meditation practices, they are completely personal. Do whatever feels right to you. You can use ten affirmations if you want or just one.

You can check out my post 33 Empowering Self-Affirmations to Boost Self-Confidence and How to Use Them to pick out a few affirmations that resonate with you.

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After five minutes or so, mostly when I feel it’s time to shift away from affirmations, I start with my visualizing practice.

Starting with affirmations helps me get in the right mindset to have an easier time visualizing a more confident, a more empowered, a more filled with self-love me.

I have a wild imagination, so visualizing is my favorite part of my meditation practice. This is where you can really have fun with it.

I visualize myself radiating confidence as I do things I love and move through my day. I also visualize myself accomplishing goals I’m working towards and in places I want to be, like my future beautiful home office.

This is a really powerful practice for me. I always come away from my mindfulness meditation practice feeling more confident and self-assured. And it only takes me 15 minutes a day. Worth it, right?

If you want to start your own mindfulness meditation practice to build more confidence there are several ways to get started:

First, for any practice you choose, find a quiet comfortable place. I recommend practicing in the morning to get your started on the right foot. When I first got started in meditation, as soon as my alarm went off, I would sit up in bed (I would fall back asleep if I stayed laying down), close my eyes, and set a timer on my phone for five minutes.

Important: Anytime your mind starts to wander (it’ll happen) just gently guide yourself back to your practice. Most of the meditation experience is about noticing where your mind goes and lovingly leading it back to where you want it to be. That’s being mindful so give yourself kudos any and every time your mind dilly-dallies, and you guide it back to the practice.

1. You can use affirmations like I described above. With each inhale say your affirmation in your mind and with each exhale say the affirmation or you can use a different one. Lengthen your breaths and make them deeper than your normal breathing. This helps your brain realize it can relax. Also using deeper breaths helps the affirmations sink in a little more since you’re not rushing through them.

2. You can use visualizing techniques. Find a comfortable, quiet place where you can concentrate. Close your eyes and let your imagination go in a positive way. If you need more help with this, here are a few prompts to help you visualize:

• • Standing Tall: Visualize yourself standing tall on a mountain breathing in the crisp mountain air. Your shoulders are back, your head is held high, and you feel your own inner strength coursing through your body. You are in power pose and the power is running through you.
  • The Confident Light: Picture a warm, glowing bright light in your belly. Imagine it radiating throughout your body until you are completely full of this magnificent light. Watch as it begins to radiate outwards and encircling you in this warm, loving light. This light is your inner confidence. With each deep inhale and exhale, your light grows stronger and brighter empowering you. When I do this practice, I make my light pink for extra fun. You can choose any color to have more fun with it!

• Future Self Visualization: This is my favorite one because it helps me realize my goals are within reach and achievable. Like I described above, visualize your future self in a moment where you’re crushing an important goal or in a moment you have dreamed of being in and feeling completely confident. What does this future you look like? Are you beaming with joy? Are you fist-pumping the air? Are you relaxed and enjoying the moment? Or are you focused and in complete flow? Step into that future you and feel the wonderful confidence future you is radiating.
• Release Self-Doubt: Picture your self-doubt, the personal boulders you carry with you every day, as heavy weights that you can release. Envision yourself letting go of the weights with each exhale. You drop these unnecessary weights at your feet. With each weight you release you begin to feel freer, more self-assured, and your confidence grows stronger and more powerful. Imagine the weights sinking into the ground as you step away from them and into the more confident you.

3. Mindfulness meditation can be difficult to start on your own. It can be a huge help to have guide, like guided meditation. There are dozens of guided mindfulness meditation practices on YouTube for confidence building. You can also check into Mindfulness. They have solo guided meditation practices for more confidence including Befriend Yourself, A Mantra for Inner Peace, and You’re Welcome Here, Too, along with others. As well as guided meditations on releasing anxiety, being happier, and many more topics.

When you’re ready to end your meditation, you can simply open your eyes and go about your day. Or you can end with saying Namaste, chanting OM, or with a prayer to your higher power. Personally, I always end my practice with a namaste to feel connected to others and a prayer to God to guide through the rest of the day. That’s just what works for me, but you do what works best for you.

Mindfulness meditation gradually transformed my belief in myself and increased my self-confidence and self-esteem. It’s become one of my favorite confidence building exercises.

You don’t need to dedicate hours to it a day. You can start with a simple five minutes in the morning. Over time your practice will start to sink into your daily life. It’ll help you become more mindful, which can help build confidence by quieting the chatter in your brain. It’ll also increase your concentration so you can focus on those big, beautiful goals and dreams of yours.

You got this, babe! And if you need more guidance or have any questions, please feel free to email me or leave a comment below. Let me know how your meditation practice is going, I would love to hear from you!