This week’s guest author post is from the earthy Positive Health & Wellness Blog by Karen Reed. This is a topic as a spiritual Momma that I believe is essential towards everyone’s wellbeing and happiness. Self Care. We all need to incorporate more self-care whether it is 5 minutes of “me time” or a special massage treat. As we focus on our well-being, we radiate out that vibration into our lives. If you’ve ever been the person who gets burnout or works double shifts, it’s so essential to take the time to nurture you. Here are 9 Tips to take with you during Love Week
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Self-care is important. Too many of us put others first. Mothers will put their kids first, while wives like to put their husbands or significant others first. We can do things for friends and other family members before we even think about looking after ourselves.
The problem is that this can affect our confidence. We become more aware that we’re not the women that we want to be, and that pushes our self-esteem down every day.
And then there are other events that affect our confidence levels. We start to doubt who we are and what we can do, especially if we come from troubled backgrounds or have faced some traumatic event.
It’s time to make a change. It’s time to focus on more self-care to boost our confidence levels. We owe it to ourselves to be more confident and sure of ourselves in all walks of life.
Here are nine self-care tips that you need to follow right now to become a more confident woman.
Focus on Gratitude Every Day
Let’s kick start this with something that you can do every day without fail. It doesn’t matter how busy you are or what type of life you lead; you can focus on three things that you’re grateful for in life.
Just think about it, there are 7 billion people in the world right now. Not everyone will have the opportunities you have. There are people living on the streets and fighting just to get one meal a day. There are individuals who have lost those close to them or are looking after terminally ill children, knowing they will outlive them.
Focus on the three things that you are most grateful for daily. They can sometimes be the same things, but try to look at different items on a regular basis. Don’t worry how silly they sound. They’re the things that you’re grateful for.
As you get used to this gratitude, start adding more items to the list. You want to get to where you’re thinking about 10 things you’re grateful for daily.
To help encourage you to do this more, put a penny into a jar for each item that you think. Collect that money and then either put it into a savings account or give it to charity to feel better about yourself.
Use Your Favourite Scents
When you get ready, make sure you use your favorite scents. Smells affect our happy hormones and will also make us feel better about ourselves. They help to instill confidence, even if it is just a placebo effect. We know that there is something good in our lives from the moment we step out of the door.
You can even take your scents with you. Put a small bottle of spray in your bag, so you’re ready for when you need a top up. Don’t forget to use it before you go into that interview or presentation to boost your confidence levels.
Think about the scents that you love the most. You don’t have to go out and buy an expensive perfume. Stick to your favorite essential oils and dilute them in some water in a spray bottle. It’s cheaper and healthier for you!
Improve Your Posture and Adopt the Supergirl Pose
Your posture says everything about you and will affect the way that you feel about yourself. Those who slouch or sit back, tend to have lower self-esteems. They want to hide away from the world and can fear to look up to face people.
This may not be initially how you feel, but it’s how people view you. And then the criticism that you face will affect the way that you feel about yourself deep down. Soon you start to believe everything else that people say about you.
It’s time to stand up straight. Be proud and strong. That feeling will help to cement itself into your whole being. Plus, you open your chest and improve the amount of oxygen you get. You improve blood flow, so your brain finds it easier to release the right hormones.
Adopt the Supergirl post. Stand up straight with your hands on your hips and head up high. Studies have shown that standing like this for a couple of minutes will make you feel like Supergirl. Okay, so you can’t fly, but you will have her confidence to conquer your demons.
Dance It Out ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Style
Grey’s Anatomy uses one thing when everything seems like it’s not working out: dancing it out. Meredith and Cristina will regularly jump up and down to music—it’s how they said their goodbyes when Cristina left Seattle. Now Meredith continues it with her sister and sister-in-law.
Dancing it out is an excellent way to boost your positive emotions. It’s a form of exercise, although you won’t think of it as exercise specifically. You get that rush of endorphins and will feel better deep within. You’ll be ready to tackle the world.
At the same time, you’re putting on your favorite music. This is the type of music that makes you feel better when all of life is against you. It will remember you of the good things in life; of time that you felt more confident than ever before. Start using it to your advantage.
You will always have time to dance it off. Don’t worry about what people will think of you. This is another part of your confidence building. You’re doing something that makes you happy and will make you laugh. It doesn’t matter what you look like because you know that it’s good for you deep down. You’ll get over that feeling of being watched and judged, boosting your confidence further.
Take Up Meditation
It’s time to become connected with yourself further. That means meditation. Guided meditation is also an excellent way to get over the subconscious feelings deep within that stop you from gaining in confidence.
Let’s start with the main benefits of meditation first. You get a chance to focus on yourself. This is something that we all overlook. Remember at the beginning I said that we always put other people first. We don’t feel like we can look after ourselves because others always want something from us.
Well, meditation will take up a small portion of your day. There is always time to fit it in if you’re willing to make it. Get up 10 minutes earlier than you usually would to meditate or take 10 minutes on your lunch break to focus on yourself. Make it very clear that you are not available during these times. There are some women who go to their car to enjoy some alone time because it helps them.
Meditation allows you to focus on your breathing, improving the amount of oxygen you get in. You can also connect with nature, focusing on the sounds of the wind, the trees, and the animals around you.
When you opt for guided meditation, you can delve further into your inner being. It’s possible to focus on your subconscious thoughts and work out why you don’t have much confidence. Guided meditation can even help you develop skills that will change your subconscious thoughts, getting over them in a way that gives you more confidence throughout the day.
This isn’t going to be easy. It’s life changing and will bring up some horrible memories for some. However, it will get you past the trauma if you allow the dark part of it to happen. Nothing good worth having is ever easy. At least with guided meditation, you’re a professional who understands how trauma can affect you as you get over it.
Try Out a New Exercise (or Do Your Favourite)
Exercise is an extremely good way to boost your confidence. To start with, you’re boosting the happy hormones in your body, meaning that you will reduce the stress. You can focus on yourself while you exercise, helping you improve the way you think and act. This is also extremely beneficial when you do something that you enjoy.
But it’s also the outcome of exercise that will help. Exercise is a powerful way to tone your body and help with weight loss. For many of us, our weight affects our confidence levels. We want to hide our bodies, feeling ashamed that we’ve let ourselves get so big. The exercise will help us take matters into our hands, so we start to lose that weight and improve the way we feel about ourselves.
At the same time, we can improve at something. Whether it’s something new or something we’ve previously done that we enjoy doing, we have something that we can get better at. There’s nobody to judge us, and so there’s no fear of failure. The more we improve at something, the more confident we naturally feel within ourselves.
Exercise is also an excellent way to fight off past trauma. We can connect with ourselves.
If you want to combine meditation and exercise, you could consider yoga. It is an excellent strength conditioning exercise and will help you become one with your spirit.
Face One of Your Fears
How about a chance at facing your fears? Our fears are the things that stop us from feeling confident. We start to give into the negative feelings.
There are so many fears that we can have. For some, an event will have happened in childhood or adolescence that sticks in our minds. Almost drowning as a kid can leave us scared of water or getting lost in the woods can make us fear that happening again. They have a negative effect on our confidence, as we struggle to be ourselves when those fears crop up.
But not all fears are connected to events. We can fear to fail or fear what other people think. These are directly affected by our confidence levels, and they lead to negative cycles.
It’s time to face a fear. When you face one and get over it, you will have the confidence to face another. Some will be harder than others, so start with the smaller of your fears and work on them first. You’ll soon realize that you can face anything that life throws at you.
Embrace Your Creativity
We are all creative people, but life has pushed that out of us. While some of us may be more technically minded, there is creativity somewhere. This could be through the form of music, dance, writing, or artwork. We all have something that we’re naturally good at, even if we don’t realize.
It’s time to embrace that creativity and imagination. Pick up a notebook and start writing your stories. Use blogs to get your imagination out there. Use painting or dance to tell your story.
As you allow your creativity and imagination come to life, you can face your subconscious fears. You’re able to work on the reasons for your lack of confidence.
Like with exercise, the creativity will also get better. You’ll find that you improve in dance or your writing becomes to a publishable standard. This makes you feel good about your skills and abilities, so you gain more confidence daily.
Enjoy a Day at the Spa (Even a Home Spa)
Sometimes you just need to take time out and relax. This can instantly boost your confidence, as you boost the happy hormones being released around your body. You don’t need to spend a fortune at a spa, as you can create your own in the house.
This is also something that you can do with your kids if you’d like. Daughters tend to love spa days with their moms. They’re a chance to paint nails, try out different colors in the hair, and look after their bodies. It’s a time for bonding between mother and daughter. Sons can feel the same way—you just need to find something that works with both of your interests.
Don’t forget to end your spa day with a warm and relaxing bath. Pop your favorite essential oils into the bathwater and breathe in the scents. You’ll get those same benefits as spraying your favorite scents to start your day! Read a book that you love—even a book about empowerment—and listen to your favorite, relaxing tracks.
The more relaxed you are, the easier it is to take in the rest of the tips and become a more confidence person.
It’s Time to Boost Your Confidence Levels Through Self-Care
Boosting your confidence levels starts with you. Only you can improve the way you feel about yourself, and that is more than just telling yourself to be happy. You need to help your mind repair and unwind, especially if you don’t look after yourself that often.
Try taking up a new exercise or just put on your favorite music and dance around the house. Allow yourself to face your fears and don’t be afraid to take up guided meditation to aid with that.
As you start to gain more confidence, all the self-care tips above will become even easier. You gain a positive cycle, so your confident no matter what happens.
This Blog was Written by Karen Reed at Positivehealthwellness.com
I share guest authors who’s message I support towards our personal well-being and happiness. If you have a message you’d like to share, contact us here.
- 9 Self-Care Tips That Will Help You Become More Confident - February 15, 2018
