How to Feel Pretty

You are the only one who can decide you are truly pretty. All it takes is a change in your thinking and a boost in confidence and self-esteem. And yes, it is easier said than done.

EditSteps

EditBeing Pretty on the Inside

Understand your own prettiness. This is the most important step for feeling pretty. You have to understand that your beauty comes from you, not from any outside source. But you have to practice feeling this way.
- Write a list of of all the good things about yourself. This includes things like helping someone carry their groceries, listening to a friend, or being the best at puns.
- Every morning, when you wake up, go to the bathroom mirror, smile at yourself and say aloud "I am awesome" and "I am happy." The more you say it the more you will convince your brain that it is true.
- Write a list of things you think are beautiful about yourself. Maybe you have big brown eyes, a cute nose, or full lips, or a great laugh. If you can't think of any, ask a trusted friend or family member.
- When you start having negative thoughts about yourself, remember your lists.

Stop negativity in its tracks. Negative thoughts cause our brain to believe the negativity. If we think we're ugly, our brain will be convinced of that. You have to convince your brain that those thoughts aren't true.^[1]
- When you start to have a negative thought, label it as such. Example: "My nose is hideous." Say to yourself: "I'm having a thought that my nose is hideous." It makes it so that thought isn't you.
- Let the negative thoughts go. You are not your thoughts, but they can be extremely harmful to your self esteem.
- Replace the negative thought with a positive thought. Even if you don't believe the positive thought, you can trick your brain into believing it.^[2]

Build your self confidence. Everyone has good qualities, both inside and outside, but it's important to realize that people are more than their outer appearance. It's great to admire people (and yourself!) for their physical attractiveness, but it's even better to look at what's on the inside. There will always be someone prettier, more successful, with more romantic partners.
- Don't judge yourself so harshly. You are your own worst enemy. Give yourself the freedom to have days where you don't feel attractive. Confidence is about trusting in yourself even on days where you don't feel like it.
- Don't judge other people. What you think about other people says a lot about you. Try to think positive, kind thoughts towards others. It will affect your positivity towards yourself.^[3]
- Don't compare yourself to others. This will only cause you to lose confidence in yourself. Besides, that person with the perfect hair might be leading a very difficult life in other respects.
- Fake it until you make it. You can trick your brain into being confident if you fake confidence. Act like you already know you're pretty and you will start to believe it.^[4]
- Don't feel as though you have to have a romantic partner to be worthwhile. Your self-worth and your confidence rely on you and only you. If you place too much self-worth control in the hands of other people, you won't learn true confidence.
- Indulge yourself in a selfie. You control the picture and you can make it so it emphasizes your most attractive features. When you're feeling less confident, pull it out and remind yourself that you are pretty!

EditBeing Pretty on the Outside

Change your appearance. Changing your appearance can give you a boost in confidence and help you out of an appearance rut. It can also be fun!
- Change your hairstyle. Cut it, part it differently, give it highlights or dye it pink.
- Give yourself dark smokey eyes or wear bright red lipstick.
  - Go for a free makeover. Make your way to the makeup counter of your local department store and ask for some assistance trying new colors. If you always wear shades of plum, tell the sales associate to break out the peach tones for a completely new look. You'll go home with a fab new take on your face.
- Picking out a new item of clothing can change your entire wardrobe: a new shirt, skirt, or even a scarf.

Wear clothes, make-up, and accessories that make YOU feel pretty and confident. Clothes that you feel comfortable in are better than clothes that may be the height of "fashion" but which you don't enjoy wearing. Your uncomfortableness with yourself will show.
- Check that your clothes fit correctly. It's hard to be comfortable when your jeans dig in too tightly at your waist, or your bra leaves marks on your skin.

Pamper yourself. Giving yourself some time alone to do something relaxing can give you a boost in self-esteem and also help you relax, which in turn helps keep up your positivity.
- Feel pretty all the way down to your feet with an at-home pedicure. Go as wild as you want! Wear a toe ring or two. Paint each nail a different color, use glitter or sample a shade that you're not quite ready to wear on your hands.
- Give your skin some extra special care. When you pamper yourself, it shows. So give yourself at-home facial for skin-smoothing results.

Work to be healthy. Healthiness is not only considered attractive, but it also means that your mind is healthy, too! It can help with depression and with keeping you from getting sick. It's hard to feel pretty when you've got a cold.
- Sleep is a huge factor in healthiness. Too little sleep strains the nervous system and can make you more susceptible to depression and illness. If you can't get the recommended 8 to 9 hours each night, make sure to catch a nap during the day.^[5]
- Exercise releases endorphins and serotonin which boost your mood and your body. There are lots of different ways of exercising: yoga, dance, taking a walk or run, aerobics, zumba. They can be a lot of fun.^[6]
- Learn to meditate. Meditation can help with retraining your brain to let go of negative thoughts. It also can help with depression, eating disorders, and stress.^[7]
- Laugh. Grab a friend and reminisce about a funny event you both witnessed, or watch your favorite comedy. Laughter can do things like relieve pain, help you cope with difficult situations, and improve your mood.^[8]
- Soak up some rays. Sunshine's known to be a major mood-booster. In fact, in some Northern European countries where the sun rarely shines during winter, people go for light therapy to fight depression. (Take care when being in the sun, and be sure to wear sunscreen.)

EditBeing Pretty

Be attractive by being kind and respectful and pleasant. People may react initially to physical attractiveness, but studies have found that they will re-evaluate their perception of that attractiveness based on personality traits.^[9]^[10]
- Listen to people when they talk. You don't have to be a doormat to listen to others and people will notice that you have taken an interest in their words.
- Kindness is one of the most important traits in rating attractiveness according to Yale psychologist, Paul Bloom.^[11] This means helping others out when they need it and not being judgmental about others (see steps above).

Decide how you define attractiveness. Remember that beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. Different cultural groups have different beauty norms. The obsession with thin being pretty only really began in the 1960s.^[12]^[13]
- Remember that the people in magazines and movies and t.v. shows have a whole army of hairstylists, make-up artists, lighting, and photoshop. Of course you don't look like them. They don't even look like them.^[14]^[15]

EditTips

Color your mood happy. When you're feeling down about what you see in the mirror, don't grab for that gray coat that seems to match your mood perfectly. Put on a bright color to kick you back into gear. For example, try red, the most energetic color in the spectrum.

Tell yourself that somebody out there will look at you and think that all the imperfections that you think you have are perfection. There is at least one person out there for each person who thinks that he or she is beautiful in every single way possible.

Find clothes and accessories that express things that you love, like your favorite books, TV shows, movies, hobbies, or sports. Wearing things that are personalized to things that you like will make you feel more confident and more like you.