I'd also say take time off from looking for plates my man. Focus on yourself right now gym, school see how you do with that then add what ever little things you have going on the side. You'll get women noticing how focused you are with improving yourself that they'll come to you in no time.

How do you guys deal with blows to self confidence?

In a word, desensitization. Two biggest parts of "growing up" that people often miss on are:

• Let hindsight catch up to real-time. Operating under a "this too will pass" mentality removes stress.
• Admit bad decisions / shortcomings and fix or improve them without beating yourself up over it.

I'm afraid this might come across as wishy-washy unrelated, spiritual kinda bullshit but this is practical advice.

Just ...let go. See past immediate outcomes. Always give your best, but do keep your eyes on the big picture.

Emotional contagion spreads through your mind (and seemingly all aspects of life) like wildfire. Do not allow it.

Accept that parts of your life, maybe months on end, will simply be an ebb part of the long-term flow pattern.

Overreacting, reacting too fast and making unnecessary adjustments is the mark of youth in self-improvement.

Everybody else here has given great ideas on how to naturally get over their slumps, however if you need a boost check out nootropics, now I know you are in college so money can be tight but L-theanine can have immediate and strong reactions for people when combined with caffeine, its focus and calmness in powder form. Also pre-workout can help you if nothing else works

You're really taxing yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally right now. Cut out something unnecessary. It will feel really good and will make you want to attack everything you kept in your life with vigor.

Also, how are you sleeping? Sleep is basically steroids, and if you're not getting enough then it could be affecting you in the weight room and in the class room.

meditate. real talk.

once you start realizing that this so called slump doesn't actually exist, it will cease to exist. everything going on in your head does not exist, until you decide to bring that out and show it to the world. the only thing that really truely exists is this world we live in, the bodies that inhabit it, and our own vessel that is nothing more than a tool we use to exhibit our wills.

so wake up 15 mins early tomorrow morning, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and then and only then, meditate. your vessel will be cleaned, fueled, and ready to tackle the day. and that 15 mins to clear your mind, and focus on the most important thing this body needs, the thing we truely live for(breathing) will be payed back by your body, mind, and spirit 10 fold throughout the day. and the longer you do this, the more you will start to see every part of your life starting to improve.

you will act with intention. you will realize how little all these confidence killers really matter in the bigger picture. you will become truely independent, and self sustaining because your mental stability will come from within. your mind will become your refuge, and your meditation will become a daily cleaning for that refuge, just like making your bed.

As men we are defined by our struggles and how we overcome them. Just know that in the end you will be stronger for all the shit you deal with now.

Frats are overrated IMO. There are so many other groups on campus that are based around real interests. If you are high value you can easily carve out your own social circle.

There are 2 kinds of confidence, the self confidence you have towards yourself, and the confidence you show to others. No matter what you can't let the confidence you show to others slip. YOU MUST MAINTAIN THIS NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.

As for building real self confidence and not feeling that you are faking it, I like to think of building momentum. In order to do this you have to change your mind set and only think of the positives. Failures are what lead to success. Don't see a failure as something negative that will make you lose momentum, just as something that will get you ready for the future. If you can find just 2 or 3 things a day to build your momentum and not let anything negatively impact you, you will get your confidence back eventually.

Even Vikings knew when they had to rest.

Resting is a vital component to all improvement. You can't power yourself to goals by running yourself ragged. You will fail if you don't take time to rest - even after, especially after, defeats or failures

Look at your biggest goals, break them down into incremental goals you can easily achieve. 5 year, 2 year, 1 year, 6 month, 3 month, 1 month, 2 weeks, this week, today, in 6 hours, in the next hour. Start knocking out your goals and feel fucking fantastic.