Depending on how strong your feelings of self-doubt are, it may take a while, but be persistent. Focus on your positive aspects and downplay those that you consider negative. Even better, try to turn your “negative” attributes into positives. Maybe you think your curly hair is a frizzy mess, but do you know how many people pay for expensive perms to get curly hair? If your negative feelings are pervasive or all-consuming, consider seeking out counseling to help you get past them.

Once you’ve accepted your appearance, it’s still possible that you’ll find areas that you’d like to improve. Having self-confidence doesn’t mean that you will never want to change something about yourself. However, if you’re confident, then you’re much more likely to want to make those changes for the right reasons. For instance, one positive reason to lose weight could be that your family has a history of heart disease. You would do well to exercise and change your diet to try to prevent an early death. This is a much more practical and healthy reason to want to change your appearance than to go on a diet because you want to look like a Calvin Klein model.

Calling on a professional may be your best bet when you decide to change your appearance. You want to make any changes in a healthy and safe way. This isn’t the time for crash diets, unproven supplements or strange beauty treatments. A nutritionist can recommend a healthy diet, and a personal trainer can recommend the best workout for lasting results.

Even when dealing with issues of style rather than health, it doesn’t hurt to call on a professional. If you truly feel the need for a change, it’s worth spending the extra money to visit a cosmetologist instead of doing it at home with an old pair of scissors and discount store dye. And you may be surprised at the insight a professional stylist can offer you on the right colors and styles for you.

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