For introverts and highly sensitive students, the new school year will bring a mix of emotions – mainly panic and anxiety, but a mix none-the-less.

It’s been a whole summer since you’ve seen certain people, since you’ve had to write an essay, and since you were thrown into a range of uncomfortable social situations. The new school year is looming and your self-esteem isn’t quite ready for what it’s about to bring.

However, that’s fine, because I am going to give you 10 tips to feel confident so you’re ready for the new school year!

1) Power Poses
I was recently inspired by a TEDx talk from social psychologist Amy Cuddy who tells us all about how our body language shapes who we are. As introverts, we sometimes find it difficult to hide when we’re uncomfortable. It can be quite obvious to others that actually, we really don’t feel happy in this situation. We are out of our comfort zone and it is so obvious.
Amy Cuddy teaches us how by using a few simple poses, we can actually fool everyone (and even ourselves) into thinking that we’re not only comfortable, but we are owning this situation.

2) Smile
Following on from Amy’s talk, smiling is the easiest and simplest way to a) appear friendly and approachable and b) feel happy and confident.
Smiling triggers endorphins in your brain telling you to feel happy. Happiness = confidence. Simple.

However, if you don’t feel like smiling – don’t. So many introverts are told to ‘fake it until they make it’. The classic confidence tip, does not make us feel confident at all, but more like an imposter. Read Jerry Liu’s ‘How I stopped faking it and embraced my introversion’ for why being an introvert is something you should embrace and not hide underneath a fake smile.

3) Flip It (Negativity)
When things go wrong, it can be hard to see the silver linings amongst the dark clouds. However, it’s really important that we try to find them. I recently read a great book called ‘Flip It: How to get the best out of everything’ by a guy called Michael Hepwell.  It’s all about flipping the negatives and turning them into positives. For example,
you go to a party, you talk to a few people, you feel awkward, shy and leave after an hour. What a terrible night, right? Wrong. Hepwell would say the positives were that you went to a party despite being introverted, you exposed yourself and spoke to a few people. What a really great thing you did despite not wanting to go in the first place. You should be totally proud of yourself.

If all else fails, have a back up plan. Think about the worse case scenario – you’ve left an essay too late? You’ve forgotten to write a bibliography? Have no fear, there are plenty of online resources that can help you through these scenarios. If you need any help with any type of college paper, Lord of Papers provides a quick, convenient and cheap service available 24 hours a day.

4) Look The Part
Wear something that not only you feel comfortable in, but you know you look good in. Don’t hide behind an oversized sweatshirt. Wear that top that your friends say you look nice in or buy those jeans that you really want.
It’s the first day of school – there’s no need to feel self-conscious because you look great!

5) Read (Educate Yourself)
As with anything you do, preparation is key. The new school year means a step up academically and the only way for you to feel confident is to a) know what to expect and b) prepare for it.
Read the outline to your courses, buy or borrow the books for your pre-reading and get to it! Confidence is 70% about how you present yourself and 30% the knowledge you have to carry it off. Get your 30% in the bag before you even step through the school gates.

6) Be Prepared
Following on from my previous point, prepare yourself for uncomfortable social situations too. Look at the school calendar; is there anything coming up that you must go to? Get the dates in the diary and start thinking about how you’re going to tackle each thing, one by one.
Is it a party? Do you need to buy fancy dress? Is it a welcome seminar, will you need to introduce yourself? Think about what it’s going to require and start planning early so it’s less stressful when it comes around.

7) Throw Yourself in the Deep End

Sometimes confidence comes from experience. If we avoid all the situations that make us feel uncomfortable and make us nervous, we will never learn or grow. Try at least one thing that makes you uncomfortable, once a week, and you will feel yourself growing in confidence because if you can do it once, you can do it again!

8) Exercise & Healthy Eating

I always find I feel more confident when I feel healthy and fit. I feel least confident when I’m staring at my Buddha belly after my fourth donut of the day.
Even if we feel like we’re losing the tiniest bit of weight, or we’re giving our body the vitamins and minerals it needs, I feel 10x better about going out and facing the world that day knowing I am healthy and happy!

9) Recharge

Being confident can be draining. Make sure you take the time to recharge your batteries, ready to face a new day. Tanja Gardner has written a great article about how to track your energy level and recharge. One of my favourite suggestions by her is to make a positive playlist and press play on your favourite tunes. When I hear Proud by Heather Small, I want to grab a hairbrush and bounce on my bed like a 5-year-old girl.

10) Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself
Finally, being a introvert is hard. Don’t be so hard on yourself if sometimes you don’t feel too confident. Equally, don’t let it get you down. Feel confident in the fact that in somewhere as big as college, 50% of students are probably also introverts. You’re not alone and you should be confident that you’ve made it this far without any sort of confidence tips or techniques. You’re clearly doing a pretty good job already!