Image via: Freepik
Do you have a hard time expressing yourself? Do you feel embarrassed or unsure of who you are? You can work on this by getting in touch with your feelings, developing your creativity, and cultivating self-love.
9 Tips On How To Express Yourself And Embrace Your Uniqueness
Expressing yourself is the first step towards being true to yourself. It’s difficult to find happiness and form meaningful connections with people if you don’t know how to express yourself. We have put together a few tips you can follow to explore your creative side, get in touch with your feelings, and celebrate your uniqueness.
Why Is Expressing Yourself So Difficult?
Image via: Freepik
Expressing your feelings and opening up to people can be difficult for many different reasons. You might think that others won’t have a positive response when you open up to them and express yourself.
You might have a hard time being true to yourself because you aren’t in touch with your feelings and aren’t sure about to label the emotions that you experience. You might not be sure about what to say in a situation you have never encountered before.
Being afraid to stand out is another common issue. Being the center of attention can feel uncomfortable if this isn’t something you do regularly.
If you have low self-esteem, you might not know how to express yourself because you believe that your thoughts and feelings aren’t worthy of being expressed.
Perfectionism is another common barrier to expressing oneself. If you are a perfectionist, you might feel that you can’t express a thought until you have found the perfect words for it. Perfectionism can also keep you from expressing anything negative because you are overly concerned with projecting the image of someone who is happy and successful.
Past experiences can have a huge impact on the negative feelings tied to embracing your uniqueness. You might not be used to speaking up and being true to yourself, or might have encountered some negative experiences where others judged you for your uniqueness.
Deciding to express yourself and embrace who you are is a big step. Deciding to make this change can be intimidating, and it’s natural to experience anxiety at the idea of opening up, especially if this is something you have never tried before.
Keep in mind that getting in touch with your emotions and learning to express yourself will make you happier. This process takes time. Be patient with yourself, and don’t judge yourself too harshly if you feel that you aren’t getting results right away.
Reframing Other’s Opinions
If expressing yourself is difficult because you are worried about what others will think, you should focus on reframing these opinions.
Image via: Pexels
Prepare yourself for receiving feedback from others, and accept that not all feedback will be positive. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and you shouldn’t expect to please everyone you meet.
It’s also important to realize that other’s opinions have a very limited impact on your life. In fact, others might not judge you as often or as harshly as you think.
Keep things in perspective when you receive feedback, and be mindful of not focusing on what others might think of you. Remind yourself that your value doesn’t depend on what others think of you.
Conquer Your Fears
Image via: Pexels
Speaking up and embracing your uniqueness can be intimidating because you will have to try new things. Figure out what is stopping you from expressing yourself so you can address this problem.
Here are some common fears that often lead to shyness:
- A fear of not being accepted
- A fear of not being perfect
- A fear of being the center of attention
You might experience these fears because of negative experiences in your past or because of beliefs that you have internalized.
If you have some bad experiences linked to expressing yourself, work on reframing these experiences. Is it possible that you perceived other’s reactions as more negative than they actually were?
It’s also important to consider the positive and negative experiences you had. Negative memories tend to carry a heavier weight and have a more significant impact on our thought patterns. Think back on different situations where you opened up. You probably had more positive experiences than negative ones, even though the negative ones affected you more deeply.
Addressing Perfectionism
Image via: Freepik
Perfectionism can prevent you from accomplishing a lot of things in life, including being true to yourself. You might think that getting in touch with some negative feelings will prevent you from projecting a perfect image or might hesitate to express yourself because you can’t find the right words.
Be mindful of the high standards you have for yourself. Remind yourself that these standards aren’t realistic and are holding you back.
Letting impossible standards go takes time. Focus on replacing them with smaller daily goals that you can realistically achieve.
Get In Touch With Your Feelings, Needs, And Wants
Image via: Freepik
If you struggle with expressing yourself, chances are that you aren’t always sure what your feelings, needs, and wants are. It’s important to learn to listen to your feelings.
Getting in touch with your feelings takes time. You can start by setting alarms throughout your day so you can take a short break from what you are doing and ask yourself how you are feeling.
Identifying the feelings you are experiencing might not be easy at first, but it will become easier as you practice. This exercise will help you become more aware of your feelings.
You should also learn to listen to your body. An activity like yoga or meditation can help get in touch with your body.
We also recommend that you start a journal. You can use free writing to express yourself and write about your day. If you need more structure, a bullet journal can help you keep track of your mood and feelings.
Learn To Communicate About Your Feelings
Image via: Pexels
You might be wondering how to express yourself because talking about your feelings is a new experience for you. You might not have the right words to express how you are feeling, or simply don’t know how to be true to yourself.
Communicating about your feelings is a crucial skill that will help you develop healthy relationships with your significant other, friends, and family member. It will also help you handle conflicts at work.
Start by asking yourself how you feel about a situation. Ask the other person how the situation makes them feel. Asking this question will give you a better understanding of what is going on and it will help the other person engage their emotional intelligence.
You need to formulate a statement that describes your feelings. Avoid using broad words such as good and bad. Be as specific as you can about your emotions, and make sure you refer to a specific situation or action that triggers these feelings.
Explore Your Creative Side
Image via: Pexels
Getting in touch with your creativity is an important aspect of becoming comfortable with who you are. Trying different creative activities will help you find new ways to express yourself.
Creative activities work as an outlet for your feelings. Exploring your creative side will help you grow as a person and you will gain a better understanding of who you are.
Finding a creative activity that you enjoy is also great for your stress and can boost your confidence and self-esteem.
Trying a new creative activity can be intimidating. It’s important to let go of the idea that you need to be talented to create something. Remind yourself that the process of creating something is more important than the finished product.
There are many different activities to explore:
- Drawing
- Sculpture
- Painting
- DIY projects
- Sewing clothes
- Quilting
- Dancing
- Photography
- Acting
- Making videos
Try scheduling a new activity each week. This is something you can do by yourself, try with your friends, or enjoy with your significant other.
Embrace Your Appearance
Image via: Pixabay
Your appearance impacts how others perceive you and how you feel about yourself. Presenting yourself in a way that doesn’t reflect your true self can make you feel unhappy.
Teens often use their appearance to express their individuality. They will often experiment with clothes, hairstyles, piercings, and tattoos. This is something we stop doing as we get older and need to adopt a professional look for the workplace.
You don’t have to stop experimenting with fashion because you are no longer in your teens. There are plenty of fun styles to explore, and you can wear anything you want while you aren’t at work. You can even get creative with your work outfits as long as you follow your workplace’s dress code.
We recommend that you visit a thrift shop to pick up new clothes and accessories on a budget. You can upcycle some old clothes, create accessories yourself thanks to DIY projects, and have fun trying different looks.
Learn To Love Yourself
Image via: Pixabay
Embracing your uniqueness is easier if you love and accept who you are. Developing self-love is crucial if you want to feel comfortable with expressing yourself.
Self-love will also make what others think of you seem insignificant. Self-love or self-esteem is something that you can build.
Be mindful of your thoughts patterns. Whenever you notice a negative thought, ask yourself where this thought came from and try looking at the situation in a more neutral manner.
It is also beneficial to remind yourself of the skills and qualities you have. Take a few minutes to think about your accomplishments, the things you are good at, and the skills you have acquired. Keep this list with you and go over it whenever you feel bad about yourself.
Don’t let negative thoughts dictate your mood for the day. If you notice that your thoughts are becoming negative, take a break from what you are doing. Assess the situation from a more neutral perspective, let go of the negative thoughts, and remind yourself of your qualities.
You can also use positive affirmations to develop self-love. Positive affirmations are sentences or mantras that you can repeat throughout the day or use whenever you notice a negative thought.
Be mindful of comparisons. Comparing yourself to people that you perceive to be more talented or successful can be harmful.
Find things that help you feel good about yourself. We already talked about creative activities, but there are plenty of other things you can do to develop your self-love and self-esteem.
Exercising is a great way to develop your confidence. Finding a new hobby could be an opportunity to develop some new skills.
You don’t need to work out or find a new hobby to develop self-love. Taking pride in your work or in completing small everyday tasks can make a difference.
You should also think about how you perceive your circumstances. It’s easy to feel bad about yourself if some of the circumstances you live in aren’t ideal. Detach yourself from circumstances and remember that your job or bank account don’t determine your worth as a person.
Focus On Growth
Image via: Pexels
You will find that it’s easier to express yourself if you focus on personal growth. Setting some goals and working towards achieving them will make you feel good about yourself and you will gain the confidence you need to be yourself.
There are many opportunities to grow. We often think about growth in the context of a career, but you can grow by meeting new people, learning new things, and discovering new activities or places.
Take some time to reflect on the values that matter the most to you. This exercise will help you identify some goals that you could pursue.
Growth might not seem connected to embracing your uniqueness, but you will find that it’s easier to feel comfortable with who you are and to express yourself if you like who you are. Setting goals and achieving them will help you become the person that you would like to be.
We hope that these tips have inspired you to make some positive changes in your life. Learning to express yourself can take time, but it could be the beginning of an exciting journey. Take some time to reflect on the things and feelings that might be holding you back so that you can address these issues first.
Anna works as a full-time writer and editor and has devoted the last ten years of her career to assisting readers in improving their perspective on life. She is a Cultural Studies graduate and now contributes to Good Morning Quotes by sharing her traveling experiences and social knowledge with our readers. When she is not typing up her next article, Anna enjoys spending time with friends, visiting new places, and supporting a healthy lifestyle.
Leave a Reply