How to overcome your smile insecurities

Most people understand that having a great smile is a huge asset. However, this also means that people who are insecure about the way their smile looks may have a more difficult time smiling. We all have our insecurities. We can choose to let them run our lives for us or we can do something about them. The answer to how to overcome your smile insecurities is not an easy one, as it involves discipline and a good degree of self-awareness. That being said, it is far from impossible. The best way to start is to consider utilizing braces for the best teeth alignment possible. After that, you will want to practice positive self-talk, have a positive outlook, and stop comparing yourself with others. While this may sound difficult, don’t worry – we will walk you through it all!

The importance of a smile

It is a well-known fact that people simply feel better when they smile. Here are some of the most important improvements that a healthy smile can provide to you:

• Increased confidence
• Benefits your overall health
• Makes you feel happier
• Improved relationships

Having a great smile also makes the world around you respond to you in a more positive way. Let’s explore exactly how you can benefit from smiling more often.

Smiling improves your self-confidence

If you are satisfied with the way your smile looks, you are going to be smiling more and be more confident in turn. On the other side, people with smile insecurities may want to hide their teeth or even avoid eye contact altogether. Improved self-confidence is one of the most important reasons why you may want to overcome those insecurities as soon as you can. There are many different types of braces to take into consideration when trying to correct a smile, so you are not without options. Give them some thought, at the very least.

Smiling makes you healthier and happier

When a person is smiling, they appear happy. Even if you are “faking” a smile, you are still releasing endorphins. The way it works is that smiling is “tricking” your brain into thinking that you are happy. Your “primitive” brain cannot tell the difference between a fake smile and a real one, even if you do. Thus, simply by smiling a lot, you can reap the benefits that a smile provides. Sometimes, the answer to the question of how to overcome your smile insecurities is simply by smiling more!

Relationships are easier with a smile

Most people are much more comfortable around a smiley face. Smiles draw people to one another and make it easier to relate. Smile is ageless and works in practically any setting, be it professional or private. Think about some of your past relationships for a second, did you enjoy spending your time with the people who often smile? Healthy relationships are all about smiles, laughter, and happiness, after all. People are drawn to others who smile and laugh easily and wish to spend more of their time with them. By overcoming your smile insecurities and getting to smile more, your relationships will be considerably improved.

How to overcome your smile insecurities?

Now that you understand why it is so important to overcome your smile insecurities, let’s see what you can do about them. Every individual is quite unique and may require a different approach but here are some things you may want to try:

• Learn to accept who you are
• Positive self-talk
• Looking to the future
• Do not compare yourself with others
• Extra care goes a long way

Sometimes, you may need to correct your smile before you can truly explore some of the above options. While wearing braces might not be the most enjoyable thing in the world, it is a great investment in your future. And with the invisible braces that we have today, you don’t need to feel awkward wearing them, either! And if you are feeling anxious about your treatment, there are many great ways of coping with dental anxiety that you can utilize. There is always a solution!

However, many people do not feel comfortable with their smiles even after they stop wearing braces. Smile insecurities can be so deeply-rooted that it may be difficult to accept that they are not needed anymore. Thus, the first thing you need to be doing is:

Learning to accept yourself

Learning to accept yourself is the single most important step in overcoming any insecurity. No one is perfect, after all. While insecurities are perfectly normal, you do not want to allow them to completely influence your decisions and your life. You have the power to change your insecurities but you need to accept yourself for who you really are first.

However, this process is not an easy one. Many people simply cannot accept themselves on their own. They need someone to help them on this journey. The best way to go about it is either to surround yourself with loving, positive, people. Your friends and family members already accepted you for who you are and love you for it. This reinforcement can be of tremendous value on your own self-acceptance journey. Alternatively, you can seek assistance from a professional therapist. There is absolutely no shame in trying to improve oneself and admitting that you may need some help with how to overcome your smile insecurities.

Positive self-talk

While you can’t control when and how your insecurities will manifest, what you can do is choose to “talk” over them. By choosing to speak over your insecurities, you are consciously making an effort to overcome them. Positive self-talk is an excellent way of overcoming your insecurities, but you need to be mindful of your current mental state. According to a Walden University study, “Positive self-talk can make you feel better and be more productive“. It is all but effortless to “wallow” in your self-doubt and “sink deeper” but it can be very hard to choose to be positive.

So, start slow. You don’t need to put immense pressure on yourself to always be positive. But what you want to do is start slowly incorporating positive thinking and positive thoughts whenever you can. Work on thinking positively, as it is a skill. You can do it. How to overcome your smile insecurities? With a positive attitude! The way you talk to yourself shapes your reality in a subtle way. The more you persist, the easier it gets. And before you know it, your insecurities will be much easier to manage!

A future outlook

Similarly, it is very easy to wallow in the present and not look up to what the future will bring. You are not going to get rid of your insecurities in a day, after all. Every beginning is hard and it might even seem impossible. But day after day it gets easier. What you need to do is understand that while it may be hard right now, it will get considerably easier as time passes.

The great thing about self-improvement is that you can be certain that it is going to happen. Whenever you feel “down”, you can always think about how all of that is going to be behind you at some point, and you may even laugh at it. Choose to see yourself as who you can be and not who you currently are. You can, and you will overcome your insecurities if you constantly look to the future and strive to be better, one day at a time.

Stop making comparisons

Comparing yourself to other people is usually a very “bad” thing to do. It can be helpful if it drives you to be better but it is mostly a “coping” mechanism of sorts. For example, if you don’t have a straight smile, you may believe that if you had one all would be different. And even if that is true, the simple act of comparing yourself to someone else is going to ruin your mood. Don’t allow this to happen, try to make a conscious effort not to dabble in comparisons. Most of us have bad experiences with our parents comparing us to other children, usually in an effort to improve us in the desired way. But can you recall how many times it actually worked? For the most part, comparisons are very detrimental. You should celebrate who you are, instead.

We are all unique, with our own sets of virtues and flaws. You can always find someone who is “better” than you but the opposite is also true. But our insecure minds have an uncanny ability to focus on our own shortcomings and devalue our own strengths. It is much better to simply stop comparing yourself to others instead. You will be much happier that way.

Take care of your insecurities

Lastly, you want to do anything you can to “take care” of your smile insecurities. This may involve teeth whitening, teeth straightening, or anything that might make you feel at least a bit better about your smile. Engage in self-care activities and your insecurities will slowly become more and more manageable. Some people choose to employ a certain toothpaste, others floss more regularly. The important thing is to take care of yourself, regardless of what that care looks like.

While you may struggle with how to overcome your smile insecurities, the good news is that it is entirely possible. Not only possible but not really that hard if you put your mind to it. Of course, professional dental care goes a long way toward achieving and maintaining a straight and beautiful smile. If you are looking for top brace options or dental health networks, Consumer Opinion Guide is there to help you out! Explore our knowledge database and you can find all that information and much more!