Confidence is like a muscle…you can make it grow

Confidence is like a muscle…just like a bicep you can make it grow.

I hope you are well and taking good care of yourselves. I have some exciting changes and new offerings coming to you soon my friends that I am working on behind the scenes.

A new name…a new look newsletter…and most importantly the finishing touches to my coaching packages! Sound the horn!!

It has made me think a bit about confidence and being brave!! So watch this space but in the mean time I hope you read and can take something away from today’s offering…

Living through our upside world I think confidence has been last on the list of priorities, do you agree?

But I think slopping around in my “comfs” (clue is in the name!) with lockdown three-toned hair was having a bit of an effect on my self-esteem. Interacting less with other humans in real life and dealing with the emotional and practical outcomes of recent world events meant that how I felt about me was last on the list. However, now that we are beginning to see a little light at the end of a long tunnel it is time to make some positive changes for me. We are all different but I like to feel happy in my skin if I can…and I mean from the inside out…and so a bit of work was on the cards. Do you feel me?! So start by recognising that your self worth or how you start to love yourself is a seed that can grow…but you do need to water it!

“We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already”

J.K. Rowling

Here are a few simple and actionable tips to help get your confidence levels moving in the right direction. Chloe Brotheridge someone I really admire says “you were not born with low esteem so you can unlearn it”.

1.       Affirmations or sometimes called mantras can positively affect your subconscious mind. Help you to believe in you. This is one of my favourites “I AM STRONG.. I AM LOVED… I AM ENOUGH”. Try saying it out loud and yes you will feel silly at first.  But it works! Then say it to yourself in the mirror to really feel that positive energy. Write down a compliment someone has paid you on a post it note and place it somewhere you will see it during your day and remind yourself how awesome you are that someone took the time to make you feel good.

2.       Visualisation. There is such power in visualisation as the brain does not differentiate between a real and imagined event. Amazing hey? If you have something coming up that is worrying you imagine the event like a movie in your mind. Run through it as if you are smashing it…really see it in your mind’s eye…you are the actual queen of the thing/event or whatever. Increase your self belief through imagined achievement.

3.       The Power Pose. There is something to be said for positive body language and the way you carry yourself don’t you think? If I think about someone who at least appears really confident, they always stand tall with their shoulders back. I was actually told once (it has come back to me literally now) that I was being too submissive and needed to stand up!  Whoaa I was crushed! But she had something there if I am being honest. Yes I was playing and acting small I guess…well I am only 5’2 but you get me. So think Wonder Woman and you get what I mean. Stand tall with your hands on your hips and shoulders back & you will reduce your cortisol, the stress hormone AND increase your confidence. Listen to Amy Cuddy famous Ted Talk here on her research into body language.

4.  Self hypnosis. Listen to a positive self hypnosis or meditation track that helps you believe in yourself and you will find you start to change how you feel about your self and those negative thoughts that hold you back. Hypnotherapy is just like daydreaming as I have mentioned before, you can easily download a track and lie down and relax and just listen. It is something that is top of my confidence tool kit and I really recommend it.

5.  Create a confidence playlist. Put all your fave tunes that you know bring a smile to your face and start your day with that energy. A study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that listening to uplifting music improved mood and increased feelings of happiness in two weeks. Simple but effective!

6.  Smile. Perhaps the most simple of all. If we smile (even if we don’t feel like it) you can trick your brain into releasing endorphins - those feel good hormone and you can slow your heart rate and reduce tension. A good start to feeling better about yourself!

7.  Treat yourself! If all else fails spoil yourself with a little treat. Whether it is a moisturiser that will really benefit your skin or a fabulous new bright red lipstick…make it something that is not an absolute necessity but will make you feel great. I bought a little tee shirt recently which I talked about on Instagram that I have wanted for ages and it totally lifted my spirits and made me smile and just feel good to be honest…sometimes the only reason we need!

Sending love as always my friends and thanks for reading. As always do let me know if there is something you have taken away and share with a friend who may need it

Tracy xx