Self Perception During Winter: How to feel more confident during the winter months

Graphic by Janet Xiong

Winter can be difficult for a lot of people, and for a lot of different reasons. For some it is the random breakouts or dry skin, for others it is the pain of having to wear a boring winter coat everywhere, or maybe you feel personally attacked by the lack of a fresh tan. 

However, winter should not be a reason for low confidence when it comes to one’s appearance. Seeing as the winters here are nearly six months long, it's important to not let your confidence decrease with the “winter effect.”

After speaking with several of my peers on how they perceive themselves during winter, the majority mentioned that they feel more confident in the warmer months than these bitter cold ones. 

It is important to note what it is about summer that gives the majority of people more motivation and confidence. For many it is the greater freedom for outfit construction, healthy skin and, well, warm weather makes it easier to be motivated, besides the dreadful 100 degree days. 

So this begs the question, how do we combat this?

One source of low confidence is clothing. Wearing the same winter coat everywhere with boring pants can be a bit tiring. Try investing in different thrifted winter coats to add some diversity to your daily outfits.

Another way to go about feeling boring everyday is to focus more on accessories. Think about the accessories you wear in winter; hats, gloves, scarves, etc. You can absolutely change those up for a cheaper cost to be able to customize your outfits more.

For example, adding ribbon to your backpack or jackets can add a fun pop of color. Confidence can be boosted by changing up any jewelry, hair styles or adding in different accessories to your rotation.

Another reason for low confidence is skin dryness (it affects more people than you know). To combat this pesky problem: carry around a mini vaseline or aquaphor container with you, always.

The miniature containers take up practically no room and are always an easy fix to cracking knuckles, chapped lips or dry patches in general. These little guys are usually pretty cheap and can be found at any Target, pharmacy or convenience store.

Finally, the last aspect that was mentioned to me in my “research” is that people don’t feel confident because they lack motivation in the winter months to “get up and at ‘em,” which then can lead to less productive days, poorly constructed outfits and less socializing.

To this I say, me too.

However, that can no longer be an excuse to feel less confident for nearly six months! Think about all of the things you have to do for school or even for pleasure and think of ways you can transfer those activities outside of a bedroom or small apartment.

Going to the library, or searching for groups that are also involved in similar activities can give you motivation to go out and in doing so, dress up.