Inside: Have you noticed a dip in self-esteem in midst of the every day tasks of being mama? Here are 6 ways to boost your confidence in the mornings. 

“I don’t want to be 60 years old and still be terrified to speak in front of a group of people.” I told my boss one day sitting in his office, going over my career goals for the next year.

I knew the consequence of saying this sentence out loud would be uncomfortable. No doubt as soon as those words came out of my mouth he would scribble down my next goal: give a presentation in front of the rest of the company. And that terrified me. 

But what terrified me more was growing old and never having fought to get over my insecurities.

When we are in the middle of a career, building confidence is almost forced upon us - growing and moving up demands that. But being a stay-at-home mom doesn't force the same trajectory of growth on us. 

It’s up to you and me to put that pressure on ourselves. 

In a job you have deadlines and feedback and performance reviews. As milestones are reached and tasks are completed, confidence is gained. 

But when you choose to stay home with your kids you lose that feedback and recognition. It is suddenly up to you to “grade” yourself. And I don’t know about you, but when I’m grading myself, the results are never very good!  It’s also difficult to quantify the work we do as mamas--there often aren’t tangible results that we can look back on at the end of the day.  And slowly, while we are feeding the baby and making lunch for our toddlers, confidence starts to fade. Instead of giving ourselves a progress report, we stop taking stock at all and just go through the motions. 

It doesn’t have to be that way. If you struggle with confidence, like I often do, it’s time to do something about it. And including just one of these 6 things into your morning routine will help sky-rocket your self-esteem.

1. Stop hitting the snooze (and get up before the kids).

I know I know, you’ve heard this before. But listen, I’m telling you that hitting the snooze is like telling a friend you’ll watch her kids while she goes to the doctor, and then never showing up. Except you are the friend and the slacker all at the same time. Don’t let yourself down like that, mama! I know you wouldn't stand up a friend, so don’t stand yourself up. 

As moms we are so concerned with making sure everyone else is OK. We bust our butts to make sure we don’t disappoint the people in our lives. We drag our kids out the door kicking and screaming so that we aren’t late to meet a friend. We make sure we have our husband’s lunch prepped and on the counter by the time he is ready to head off to work. We say yes to requests to help out at church events, even though we know it’s going to make us crazy trying to pack everything in that we’ve already committed to.

We make sure every commitment to the people in our lives are met, but we don’t treat ourselves with the same courtesy. And then we sit around and wonder why we feel like we aren’t enough, no matter what we do. Mama, if you aren’t taking yourself seriously, you aren’t going to believe anyone else is either. 

So start the day off right - stay true to the commitment you made to yourself. Resist hitting the snooze and get out of bed!

2. Workout in the mornings

We make excuses, we tell ourselves it's not important, but you and I both know that we feel more confidence when we exercise. Right? Or is it just me? I feel more energetic, agile (and with toddlers and preschoolers we could all use a little more agility!), and accomplished. 

Not only does the release of endorphins help keep your self-esteem up, but accomplishing a goal in the morning will give you an extra boost of confidence for the rest of your day. 

3. Take time to do something you love

Chances are if you love it, you are also at least a little bit good at it. Maybe it's sketching, baking, writing in a journal, organizing, writing code (I know you’re out there!)...whatever it is that you love but don’t get much time for, use your mornings to carve out some space for some creativity. 

Starting your day off with a task that you are good at and find joy in will give you confidence in the day to use your God given skills and abilities.

4. Journal + Pray

Our true source of confidence does not come from within ourselves. When we don’t truly understand our identity, who we are, and Who we are loved by, the confidence that we crave will always be at arm's length. 

Take time each morning to focus your mind on who you are, who Christ is, and who you are in Him. That is where your true source of confidence will come from - He is enough, even when we aren’t and He is faithful to cover our shortcomings. 

“But God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

5. Drink a tall glass of water

Just doing this one little thing for yourself will remind you that taking care of your body is important. And when you take care of yourself - when you make sure your health is a priority - you can better love your family later in the day.

I recently started a new routine where I drink a glass of water while the water for my tea is boiling. And adding this has been a reminder to me that it’s my job to make sure my body is getting what it needs to function well. Plus, it’s easy to forget to grab some water when you're hustling to get your kids moving through the day.

6. Shower and get dressed

Lounging around in PJs all day is the dream, right?? I don’t know why this is still touted as a good goal, when in reality sitting around in pajamas all day tends to make me feel sluggish, unmotivated, and “blah”. 

Now I am not one that has to put on jeans and a cute top to feel ready for the day. I am, and always have been, a shorts and t-shirt kind of girl. But what I do need to feel good every morning is a shower.

Maybe you hate morning showers, but you know putting on some “real clothes” always makes you feel ready to conquer the day. Or it could be brushing a little makeup on before you step out of the bedroom….

You know what you need to feel your best - do it. The idea of sitting on the couch in your PJs sounds nice, but I promise in about an hour you’ll wish you took ten minutes earlier to get ready for the day. 

Here is my tip: pretend like you are going out of the house somewhere every morning - even if you have no plans to do so. For me that means I need to shower and slip on a pair of jeans (or shorts) and a t-shirt. For you it could mean getting your hair fixed and makeup on. Whatever it is for you, make time to feel your best.

More confidence is just a morning away

I did end up doing that presentation. And it went better than expected, and I’ll admit I felt pretty dang proud of myself when it was over. 

You may not be in an office with obvious opportunities to build confidence. But you can make choices that will boost your self-esteem every single day. The hard part about being a mama is that it is all up to you now. So take yourself seriously. Keep your word to yourself. More confidence is just a morning away. 

I’m rooting for you!