Sometimes, we could all do with a little help when it comes to what's underneath the hair, clothes and make-up. Here are some short articles to help boost your inner strength and self-confidence. Click the tab to the right hand side of each article to move onto the next one.
Easily incorporated into your day-to-day life, try these quick tips and see the difference:
Follow in the footsteps of celebrities
Celebrities – they’re not like the rest of us you might think… But aside from the hefty bank balance and blessed genetic make-up, they’re not a totally different species. While some seem to have the world at their feet and waltz down sparkly catwalks in an alternate, gilded universe, it’s not all peachy.
Imagine being scrutinised by the world’s press every time you step out of your door. It takes strength of character to let an appearance in a ‘worst-dressed’ column or a zoomed in shot of your cellulite wash over your head. And what about when your private life comes crashing around your head?
Think of Jennifer Aniston. Publicly dumped by Brad for Angelina, the world’s eyes waited for her to crumble. But thanks to some great friends, time out from the public glare and tough self-adjustment she bounced back saying, ‘My split with Brad was the hardest thing I ever went through. But it made me strong, superhuman.’
Other celebrities who have had to deal with public heartache include Cheryl Cole and Victoria Beckham, who both shook off allegations of their husbands’ infidelities, rising above the media speculation and dealing with the undoubted hurt behind closed doors.
Think too of young Tom Daly. Heralded as the great British hope at the Beijing Olympics, the 14-year-old diver received negative press and schoolyard bullying after failing to live up to the hype. Shaking off the pressure and keeping his head down, he took gold in this year’s World Championships in Rome.
It’s a similar story for Britain’s most recent golden boy, Jensen Button. After years of so-so performances in F1 and watching new boy Hamilton walk away as 2008’s success story, he has finally achieved his dreams and become this year’s world champion.
So what can we take from this? Take a leaf from the well-thumbed survival tips of household names and remember the saying (a cliché but a truth none the less) that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Get a great hair cut à la Aniston, hold your head high and let people talk. And playing Destiny’s Child’s ‘Survivor’ at top volume won’t hurt either.
While some lucky people are blessed with perfect teeth, glowing skin and legs up to their armpits, we all know that beauty is not just skin deep. However pinning down this illusive ‘inner beauty’ is difficult. What is it that makes us all unreservedly adore the likes of Fern Britton while we remain sceptical, even dismissive, of the undeniably gorgeous Naomi Campbell?
Most of us warm to the likes of Fearne Cotton or Alexa Chung more than we do to Peaches or Paris. But what is it about some people that makes them particularly attractive? In the case of Fearne and Alexa, it’s probably their confidence and vivacity; they look like they’re having fun and you know a night out with them would be a blast.
Colleen Rooney’s another household name that exudes this warmth. Yes, her life is enviable but we’re not necessarily jealous of this. For all her designer bags and shoes, we think of her as one of us – albeit a better dressed version. She comes across as friendly, down to earth and genuine.
We may not have the stylists, make-up artists and dieticians to help us compete with the external beauty of many celebrities, but there are a couple of secret weapons we can all add to our beauty arsenal: happiness and self-respect. Once we’ve achieved these, we’re one step closer to discovering our own inner beauty.
The expression ‘being comfortable in your own skin’, is often bandied about, but what exactly does it mean and how can you achieve it?
There’s no simple answer to this. But discovering your inner self-confidence can benefit you in a whole host of ways: both professionally and socially.
Take Cheryl Cole for example. She’s graduated from awkward teenager in the early days of Girls Aloud, to a much-loved, confident judge on X-Factor. Yes, she’s had her fair shares of ups and downs, but over the past few years, Cheryl has become her own person and appears happily fulfilled. Gone are the trashy WAG outfits and perma-tan and in their place is a beautiful, confident young woman with the world at her feet.
Other high profile examples include Beyoncé Knowles who suffered from depression and anxiety after Destiny’s Child split up. Nine years later, she is stronger than she’s ever been - a massive solo success and happily married to fellow musician Jay-Z. Britney Spears has also battled her demons and emerged far more confident than anyone could have predicted.
If you value yourself, the battle is half won. Before you can expect others to love and respect you, you need to love and respect yourself. We all have our faults and weaknesses but accepting these and believing in our own worth is a vital step in helping us to become more self-confident.
You don’t need us to tell you that there’s constant pressure on young women these days. We’re bombarded with images of how we should look, where we should shop and what we should be doing, and it can be hard to jump off this treadmill. But one of the easiest ways of boosting self-confidence and achieving happiness is by understanding what makes you tick and concentrating on the things that you enjoy.
This can be something as small as sporting deeply unfashionable shoes purely because you want to, to hell with what’s in vogue. Or deciding on a whim that ketchup-red hair will cheer you up these grey autumnal mornings. Rather than a night on the tiles at some hip, new hangout, you might prefer drooling over Grey’s Anatomy’s McDreamy in your pjs. The point is, your free time is exactly that: yours.
It’s often harder for famous folk to unwind and remain true to themselves. But many succeed. While Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake spend their downtime hiking with their dogs, Brad Pitt relaxes by indulging in his interest in architecture. Cameron Diaz likes to surf and snowboard; Ben Stiller loves all things Star Trek. Kylie Minogue likes nothing more than a good game of scrabble; Julia Roberts and Sarah Jessica Parker are both keen knitters. Each to their own. It’s these outside interests and quirks that make you who you are. Indulge yourself and make the most of every second of ‘me’ time.
It may seem like a huge task but taking little steps can help you on the path to learning to love yourself.
Something as simple as tweaking your daily diet can make a huge difference to your mood. Here are five easy foods to help you feel fabulous:
Bananas
Daily stress can deplete your potassium levels but munching on a banana helps avoid this. They’re crammed with potassium as well as with B6, which regulates blood sugar levels, and tryptophan, which makes the feel good chemical serotonin. At less than 100 calories each, they’re the perfect mid-afternoon snack.
Complex carbohydrates
Swap your lunchtime white sarnie for a wholegrain alternative, or try a brown rice or chickpea salad instead. If you don’t eat enough complex carbs, serotonin levels slump leaving you feeling lethargic and despondent. Plus complex carbs will provide a slower release of energy, helping you feel fuller for longer and avoiding the 4pm hand-in-biscuit-tin scenario.
Porridge
Ditch the croissant-on-the-run and plump for a bowl of porridge in the morning, which sets you up for the day thanks to its stabilising, low-glycaemic index (GI). Oats are also full of vitamins and minerals to boost your skin. Throw some chopped up fresh fruit on top and start your day with a smile.
Brazil nuts
These beauties are chock full of the mineral selenium which helps maintain good moods and prevent depression. Just six brazil nuts a day will give you your recommended daily intake so get nibbling those nuts.
Chocolate
Give the sugar-filled milk version a wide birth and tuck into some good quality 70% cocoa chocolate. The dark stuff boosts endorphins, the brain’s natural happy hormones. But you don’t need us to tell you that!
It might be less appealing as the days get shorter and colder, but exercise is one of the quickest ways to boost wellbeing. And it’s not just the resulting changes in fitness and body shape; exercise increases serotonin levels in your brain, the substance that fights off depression.
Confidence in your external appearance goes a long way in bolstering your self-esteem. The phrase ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ certainly holds some truth. And you don’t have to pound pavements or fork out for hefty gym memberships to get fit. Try these easy exercises and see the results:
Inner Beauty