The phrase "bolster himself" is correct and usable in written English.
It is an idiomatic phrase meaning to strengthen or support oneself. Example sentence: Before the meeting, John bolstered himself with positive affirmations.
To bolster himself, he recited from the Koran.
His main aim is to bolster himself before the general election due in September.
"It was incredibly unfair to drag this village to international attention just to bolster himself".
"The president is on shaky ground with the hard right and is using this questionably legal and politically shabby technique to bolster himself," Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, a Judiciary Committee member, said on Friday.
Mr. Bush's proposal and the setting in which he unveiled it, an inner-city agency that serves many African-Americans, were intended to bolster his portrayal of himself as a different kind of Republican with special concern for underprivileged people.
In Wilson's mind all other people exist to bolster his opinions of himself but his dislike of people leads him to insulting most everyone.
To bolster his argument, he locked himself in the bathroom and refused to come out until the president gave in.
Besides the financial benefits, those who know Mr. Slim also see in the deal an effort to bolster his reputation by linking himself with a well-known brand.
Mr. Bolster describes himself as one to speak his mind but says that he never intends to purposely offend.
I was in Baghdad at the time; although most Iraqis I spoke to believed the rumors, journalists and diplomats speculated that Allawi had spread them himself, in order to bolster his stern reputation.
President Obama will be traveling to India to bolster ties with Prime Minister Singh, himself a practicing Sikh.
