How To Increase Your Neopet's Confidence

1. First things first. Stand your neopet in front of the mirror and make him/her look at their own image for a few minutes. If they suffer from low confidence, they will probably automatically pick out the parts of themselves they dislike the most. Stop this line of thought right now! Instead, hand them a piece of paper and a pen, and ask them to write down ten good things that they can see about themselves in the mirror. Examples of this might be that they have pretty eyes, good choice of accessories, smooth fur etc. They’re not allowed to move from that spot until they’ve come up with all ten things.

2. Now, on the same piece of paper as above, you need to get them to think of ten good things about their personality or any talents they might have, for example, they are intelligent, funny, caring, they can play a musical instrument... the list can be endless. The point of this exercise is that confidence comes from believing in yourself; you don’t have to think you’re perfect, but you do need to know where your strengths are! Once your pet has completed their list, now they need to carry it with them everywhere, and every time they feel shy or scared or like they’re not good enough, get them to read that list. This should help them to remember that they are wonderful, and have great qualities to match, both on the inside and the outside.

3. Get your pet to smile. They will be noticed more, and the smile will gradually begin to change your pet’s mood to a more positive one. Also, as smiling is infectious, everyone your pet smiles at will smile back, not only increasing your pet’s confidence but making people more disposed to be friendly towards your pet: smiling people are nice; therefore, if your pet’s smiling, people will assume your pet is nice (which of course they are) even if your pet is terribly shy.

4. Pamper your pet! Try getting your pet to set some time aside each day for doing what THEY want, even if it’s just sitting down for ten minutes rather than doing chores or running errands. It will make your pet feel more calm and at peace, and more ready to tackle anything Neopia can throw at them. Also, maybe you could try treating your pet every now and again; groom them meticulously one day, buy a book the next, maybe stay one night in a hotel! This will show your pet that you believe in them, and allows you to show them how much you love them. Don’t spoil them too much, though! Everything should be in moderation.

5. Redecorate! Your neohome reflects your pet’s personality, both the good and the bad. I’m not saying that you should change everything, but maybe instead of having a dark stained glass window in your lounge, remodel it to be a nice, large, clear arch, with light toned curtains. Sunlight and bright colours can significantly change your pet’s mood, so get rid of any dark colours that seem to be crushing and replace them with vibrant shades that compliment the room. This will automatically lift your pet’s spirit whenever they walk into each room, and feeling happy will give your pet an initial boost to try the next step!

6. A lot of confidence issues come from being worried that you’ll be rejected for who you are. You won’t be! And of course neither will your pet! They just need to learn this for themselves. You might want to try starting a new activity together, maybe playing games like Armada or Geos, or joining a guild, so both you and your pet can get to know other people. After a while, try and convince your pet to start a conversation with someone they don’t know that well; this can be terribly awkward, but if you arrange a few things to talk about beforehand – like hobbies, comics, favourite games, favourite world and why – they should be able to converse fairly easily for a little while. The first few times your pet tries this, they will probably feel self-conscious and silly, but don’t let them give up! Their conversation skills will improve as long as they keep at it. If it looks like they’re starting to struggle, join in gently, but make sure your pet keeps a major role in the conversation; they need to learn that they are capable of doing this.

7. If your pet hates being the centre of attention, try this. Get a group of your pet’s friends together - and bring some of yours too - and go and stand next to the Money Tree. Now sing. It doesn’t matter what you sing – though it would probably be better if you all chose the same song – because people will come to listen to you regardless. This way your pet will be noticed, but won’t feel abandoned to the crowds, or like they’re being laughed at, as you’re all there with them! Plus, this has the added bonus of the pets coming to listen to you being more likely to donate to the Money Tree; therefore, by drawing attention to him/herself, your pet will also be helping a great cause.

These are the best ways I know of to increase confidence in your pet. Try at least one of them, and see if it makes a difference. Your neopet has the potential to do whatever they want! They just need to realise this about themselves, and then they will be unstoppable! Good luck!