Activities To Boost Your Confidence At University

University is the perfect time to develop on yourself and grow as an individual. It’s as much about the experience as it is the grade. However, studying tends to be a very solitary activity and with 82% of students suffering some form of anxiety and stress, it can be hard to come out of your shell.

Being a student isn’t easy. Yet, there are many ways you can boost your confidence and university experience. A brighter, more socially active you will make for a more fulfilling time at university. While work is paramount, you must engage in activities that are as fun as they are confidence boosting!

The best activities to boost your confidence at university…

Join a zine

Writing for a magazine is a great way for the most introverted to boost self-confidence.

Just because someone is shy doesn’t mean they have nothing to say.  Writing articles or inputting work into your campus zine may be the perfect way to improve confidence.  It opens up dialogues with people without the terror of having to physically interact.

As Vicki Krohn Amorose writes “verbal and written language are entwined so that improvement in one area leads to improvement in the other.” Confidence is created from practice. The more you put yourself out there, the greater your it will grow. Before you know it you’ll be doing poetry readings at your Student Union!

You may not ready to verbally open up to others just yet. So, do it from the safety of your own bedroom! Writing for a zine is also incredibly interactive and collaborative. You’ll still be improving social skills in order to get your writing to publication.

Join the debate society

This seems daunting. It will take some time to get used to, especially if you are incredibly anxious about public speaking.

No one is expecting you to turn up on the first day and eloquently deliver the perfect discourse! Even if you have to observe for the first couple of meetings, baby steps are expected.

Shivani Chimnani explains how your body goes into “paramount nervousness” when you start debating. Pre-debate jitters, stuttering, and cold feet are all a natural part of the process. However, “once that stage is conquered you rise as a confident, fearless, and ingenious person […]. Debating is pretty much like a confidence-building boot camp.”

It has also been proven to improve self-esteem and knowledge. Not to mention, oratory skills are incredibly powerful in the working world!

Join a sports team

When improving confidence sports is a great way to go. It encourages you to partake in collaboration, improving your communication and teamwork skills.

Sports are also incredibly stress-relieving. They allow you to switch off from everyday responsibilities. The camaraderie that comes with team sports is also incredibly important for your social skills. Through shared interests, you can meet like-minded individuals you might not have met in another social scene.

If you don’t consider yourself particularly sporty, signing up for Zumba classes or yoga can also improve confidence. Dancing and stretching around a group of people encourages you to let go of your inhibitions. If you’re willing to make a fool of yourself and have a laugh, it will loosen you up socially. The great thing is if you hate it, you can always try something new!

Confidence is learned. Think of it as a muscle, you need to work on it if you want it to be strong. It’s ok to be nervous and shy, but try to push yourself towards improvement a little each day. You’ll be surprised by how much your uni experience can improve with just a little more confidence!

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