Did you know that teens spend an average of 6.5 hours a day consuming some kind of media? And these days, with TV shows, movies, magazines, and basically everything we look at saturated with images of impossibly gorgeous girls and ridiculously buff guys, it can be no mean feat to develop a positive and realistic self-image.

But before you can even think about starting to get to know someone else, doesn't it make sense to get to know yourself? Having self confidence is the first step in helping to make your future relationships healthy and long-lasting. This section offers some important ideas for getting (and keeping!) your confidence up.

  • Associate with positive, supportive people. If your friends are constantly down on themselves (or you), how can you keep a good attitude?
  • Stop comparing yourself to others. Yeah, she might have a gorgeous new car and he might be getting straight A's, but do you know what's going on behind the scenes in their lives? You rarely know the full story about someone else, so don't assume that you're worse off, unluckier, less gifted than they are.
  • Stop putting yourself down. Most people say things to themselves that they would NEVER let a stranger (or even a close friend) say to them. You should be your biggest advocate, not your biggest critic.

One of the most important aspects of your personality - and one that impacts how self confident you are - is your maturity level. Maturity inspires patience, tolerance, and a genuine willingness to work out problems that might develop - key ingredients to a successful and healthy relationship. People at different levels of maturity with a variety of personalities find themselves attracted to different types of people. Being aware of your maturity level can be a huge help with developing a healthy relationship.



Do you have a clear idea of your personality? Of your goals, likes, dislikes, interests, values, wants, and needs? Personality characteristics tend to be fairly stable over time, but sometimes the many dimensions of our personality remain hidden to us until we are challenged by new experiences. 

If you haven't considered these things - you might not be ready to enter into a healthy relationship. If you don't know yourself, you're probably not ready to truly know anyone else.