Each of us experiences different encounters throughout our lives that lessen or damage our self-confidence. Some manage to deal with these different experiences a lot more effectively than others, some will have the courage and confidence to quickly overcome the difficult situation whilst others will struggle to find the self-confidence to see them through.

There are a number of reasons as to why someones self-confidence may have took a knock. It could be due to a bad relationship, being teased/ taunted, being laid off at work, being rejected from a sports team and so on.

However the problem usually isn't the experiences we encounter but how we deal with these experiences. There's a saying that goes "In life pain is inevitable but suffering is optional", basically you can choose to either let past experiences damage your self-confidence or choose to take corrective measures and start working towards regaining self-confidence.

The following are 3 tips to help you gain confidence in yourself:

Always look on the bright side

Let's say for example you have just been made redundant. Admittedly this is going to damage your confidence but moping around will only worsen matters. No-one wants to lose their job but it's not the do all and all, in fact it may be a blessing in disguise! Perhaps you'll now have a little needed time-out to assess where you're heading in life and perhaps adapt to pursue a more stimulating career that's more in tune with your abilities.

Likewise a relationship break-up is also a terrible thing but sometimes it can be for the best long-term. If neither party are particularly happy in the relationship then it's probably healthier to spend some time apart and allow each-other some room to breathe.

Those are just two examples but the main thing is to always try and remain positive. Having a positive attitude is a sure-fire way to regain confidence in yourself.

STOP comparing yourself against others

Comparing yourself to others will only make you feel you're no good in certain areas. It's true, we are all better at certain things than others, each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses. Therefore it's perfectly natural to not be as quick to learn a new skill or to not come-across as naturally gifted at something as others may be.

Comparing yourself against others will only frustrate you even further. Instead of focusing on your weaknesses and comparing them against others, focus instead on your strengths.

Are you holding yourself back?

To really boost self-confidence and bounce back we need to learn to step outside our comfort zones and adapt to change! It's important to be flexible, if you've just been laid off from your job for instance then try to adapt and think outside the box, perhaps your skill-set could be applied in another industry that's more in demand. Don't get caught up in the mentality of thinking you can only work one job because that's all you knew, each skill-set can be learned and as you learn new things you'll naturally regain confidence in yourself.

Set yourself small and realistic challenges that are beneficial to you such as exercising on a daily basis. Commit to this routine and more importantly commit to change, achieving these small goals will help you gradually regain confidence in yourself and your abilities.