Have you tried this to boost your confidence?
We could all benefit from being more present in our daily lives. Sometimes we dwell on the past (maybe due to negative experiences) or obsess about the future (maybe trying to anticipate a future outcome). These behaviors can impact confidence tremendously.
What can we do to be more present and therefore reduce the noise in our head?
1. Practice Mindfulness in our daily activities. And I mean ALL the time: working, doing the dishes, playing with our kids, exercising. Mindfulness means being in the present moment. When we do this over and over again we train our brain to do just that….BE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT.
2. Meditation: the benefits for body and brain health are endless (increases serotonin and dopamine, decreases blood pressure, decreases inflammation, strengthens immune system, increases telomeres length, etc.). But apart from all these outstanding benefits, when we meditate we also train our brain to be in the present AND we reconcile with the past (which is what we want!). If we can control our mind who cares about controlling the rest out there!!
3. Detachment from the outcome: let’s try to do things for the sake of it! Not just looking for an outcome. Observe what happens, how do you feel….what a relief! I don’t mean that we shouldn’t care about the outcome but while we are immersed in the activity we just focus on the activity in itself, without looking beyond. It eliminates so much anxiety.
4. Remember Personal Strengths: it is so easy to forget what we are good at! We should remember our strengths every now and then, especially when our confidence has been depleted…write them down! We are looking for personal skills or strengths that might be generalized and applied in the current situation.
5. Remember Past Successes: the same goes for past victories. This is a short trip to the past! (don’t dwell too much on it, just bring them back and savor them!). This is so helpful when we are about to embark in a challenging task and we doubt ourselves. List 5-10 examples of recent victories you are proud of. We are looking for achievements that could be replicated somehow if the current situation.
6. Brainstorm: sometimes we just need to pour some great ideas out there…we should spare some time to the task, focus on bringing just ideas, without critique. The purpose is to generate creative, divergent thinking. Test the result, nobody is failing, we are just being curious and “trying”.
7. Reframing: another outstanding tool. We can reframe the situation. Look at it from a different angle. Is something scaring you? Don’t know if you can do it? Look for something so much more important than your fear. The problem/concern doesn’t go away, but we can find something so much more powerful that our focus changes completely. And remember, there are no “failures” only “tries”. “Maybe next time is my time!”
8. Hypothetical Thinking/Dreaming: this is short trip to the future (again, just a short trip)! Think for a second that you have achieved what you wanted. How would you feel? How would you behave? What happens next? Live it, breath it!
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Virginia