1. Crafting: If you are the farthest thing from artsy and possess a slight case of OCD like myself, then crafting can be stressful. If you are persistent enough, you will finish that craft. And when you do, you’ll feel confident enough to create an account on Etsy. But if you’re like me, you’ll hold on to your pride to hang that canvas up for yourself to look at. After a few successful crafts, you’ll start to shop at Michael’s on a regular basis. With your blank canvases, paint brushes, stencils, and bottles of paint in a plastic Michael’s bag, you’ll practically be marching out of that store ready to show your next craft who’s in charge.
2. Exercising: Running sucks. Sit-ups suck. Ew, planks really suck. But meeting the physical goals you set for yourself can really boost your confidence. Being able to complete 60 sit-ups when you thought your body would only be able to exert 50 at max makes you feel like you can eventually reach 70, 90, 100, etc. sit-ups. Not to mention that you’ll really like the results: abs.
3. Listening to One Direction: I’m telling you, their music can really pump you up and instantly shift any possible mood into a positive one. I don’t know what else to say, other than, just listen to a few songs and if that boy band’s beat doesn’t get you going, I’m really sorry that this article disappointed you. My recommendations are “Stockholm Syndrome,” “Through the Dark,” “Best Song Ever,” and “Diana.”
4. Baking: Baking used to be more of a self-esteem crusher than a self-esteem builder. In 6th grade, my parents were out running errands and I decided to surprise them by making puppy chow. Long story short, I used flour instead of powdered sugar and my mom didn’t let me make anything more than cereal and microwavable oatmeal on my own for years. As a super mature college student, I have overcome my fear of mixing up vital ingredients and I’ve realized how great it feels to see the pleasantly surprised look on someone’s face after the time and effort I’ve spent on a dessert or meal.
5. Swishing With Fluoride: There’s nothing like swishing around that Spearmint Listerine in your mouth, spitting it out, and saying that “ahhhh” while looking at yourself in the mirror like the ridiculously good looking people do in the Listerine commercials. The best part is strutting straight out of the bathroom with your breath minty fresh. Even making out with dog food couldn’t hinge on that breath.
6. Shaving Your Legs: Although the process of shaving your legs can sometimes be messy (razor cuts actually really hurt), stepping out of that steamy shower with your legs hair-free makes you feel ready to take on anything life throws at you.
7. Getting Your Hair/Nails Done: Even turning the steering wheel with freshly manicured nails as I back out of the nail salon’s parking lot or flipping my hair as I check my blind spot while backing out of the hair salon’s parking lot makes me feel on point. Not only do studies show that having your nails and hair done make you look more professional, they make you feel like you at least have something about yourself put together.
8. Writing for The Odyssey: I know this activity may seem dorky, but I hope my other Odyssey writers can agree with me on this. Placing your writing, consisting of your thoughts and opinions, in print all over campus and on the web can be scary, but you never know how people are going to react to your writing. Nothing makes me feels as confident than when I see my articles getting more and more shares. I find the fact that people take the time to read my work and share it with others extremely flattering. Writing is something I plan on doing for a lifetime, and others reading it and praising it makes me so much more motivated to stick to my life-long plan of writing.
9: Watching Grey’s Anatomy After watching an episode or two, I feel like I could walk into any trauma room with a patient coding and say “push three of epi and charge to 300” and save their life. If feeling like you can save people’s lives doesn’t boost your self esteem, what does?
