Whether or not you believe that you are confident (although you should be — you’re amazing), giving the appearance of confidence to others is an important skill to have, now and always.

When you appear confident, you appear energetic, approachable and poised — and all of these will help you in life. Be it in a job interview, relationships, academic studies or recreational explorations, confidence can work wonders.

There are a few key tips that you can change in order to exude confidence and let everyone around you know that you are a self-assured bad-ass.

  1. Posture

Hunched and/or slouched posture can cause people to think that something is wrong, upsetting you, or causing you to be disinterested in your surroundings — in turn, you appear incredibly unapproachable, small and shy. Sitting and standing tall with your shoulders back allows you to open up your entire body, instantly appearing more approachable and comfortable within your immediate environment.

  1. Eye Contact

When talking to someone you don’t know, at a party or in a job interview, maintaining eye contact is the best way to not only engage the other person in what you’re saying, but also to assure them that you truly believe what you’re preaching and that being conversational and exchanging opinions doesn’t scare you off.

  1. Slow Down

This applies to just about everything – when you’re walking around, if you have time to spare, slow your pace down just enough that you don’t look like your running everywhere — this will also make you more approachable to people around you and help you meet new people in turn. Similarly, when you speak, try to consciously slow down your speech, especially if you’re public speaking, as fast talking tends to be a characteristic of nervousness.

  1. Unplug

Don’t spend all your time on your phone — not only is it not healthy, but it also causes you to return to your slouched position with cast-down eyes, that once again make your face and body closed off to the outside world. This can also then be taken as a fear to interact or a shyness of engaging in conversation.

  1. Stop Overthinking

Don’t assume that everyone you pass is judging you, or that everyone you meet immediately thinks you’re an introvert — even if you are. Most (decent) people won’t judge you until they’ve gotten to know you, so give yourself the best shot and meet every person with the confidence and conscious minute that they they like you.

  1. Take Care of Yourself

Wear clothes you like and feel comfortable in, only wear make-up if you want to, and do the things that make you feel your best — when you put yourself first, you are placing yourself into an environment that will allow for comfort, and in turn, will allow your confidence to flourish naturally.

Just remember — at the end of the day, acting more confident than you may feel gives you nothing to lose, and everything to gain.