5 Ways to Increase Your Confidence in 5 Minutes
For years I believed that confidence was only available to the lucky few who’d been born with it.
Growing up, I never felt confident. In groups of people I’d feel shy and nervous, standing up in front of the class left me a nice shade of beetroot and when teachers put me on the spot and expected an answer from me, my voice would crack, palms would sweat and I’d want the ground to swallow me up.
In my late teens/early 20’s, I was so crippled with anxiety that confidence was the least of my worries. Going to the supermarket on my own was impossible, I was terrified of public transport and as my friends started hitting the clubs, I became a recluse.
A few weeks before my 21st birthday, I took a long hard look at my life and realised I was spending more time watching YouTube videos of other people living their lives than I was living my own.
I had a choice: Continue letting the anxiety win or take action to increase my confidence, manage the anxiety and take control of my future.
Within a year, I’d gone from being too afraid to leave the house to weekly nights out with friends, a day at Wireless Festival, 3 holidays abroad and I’d quit my job to travel the world.
Oh, did I mention I was going on my own?
You see, I realised that it was down to me to make a difference, down to me to take control of my life.
We can choose to make excuses or blame our parents/ the bullies at school for why we lack confidence and don’t chase our dreams. Or we can choose to create our own confidence and design a life that we love.
What’s it gonna be?
To get you started, here are 5 tricks to boost your confidence in 5 minutes:
DRESS TO IMPRESS (yourself)
We all have that one outfit in our wardrobe that makes us feel really effing good, don’t we?
If you don’t, I want to encourage you to find one.
The way we dress has an impact on how we feel. When we’re just ‘popping to the shops’, we tend to throw on whatever’s available because what’s the point in getting dolled up to buy cereal?
The problem is, this thrown together outfit doesn’t make us feel good, does it?
Likewise, if we’re working from home and spend all day sat in our sweats, we don’t feel particularly good, do we?
When you put on an outfit you know makes you look good, feel good and stand taller, you instantly feel more confident.
So forget the sweatpants and pick out an outfit that makes you feel like the amazing person you are.
And hey, if sweatpants are your jam, keep ‘em on. As long as you feel confident AF, you’re onto a winner.
INHALE (confidence) EXHALE (self doubt)
Breathing isn’t just good at keeping us alive.
In yoga, we practice deep breathing to calm our bodies and make us feel relaxed.
With this exercise, I want to encourage you to close your eyes and spend a minute or two breathing deeply. As you inhale, imagine yourself breathing confidence into your body. As you exhale, imagine any self doubt being blown out of your body with your breath.
After a few minutes, open your eyes and notice how you feel.
Pretty good huh?
(Pull up your socks &) STAND UP TALL
Roll those shoulders back, lift that chin up and straighten that back.
How good does that feel?
I’m a self confessed sloucher and often have to check in on my posture. When we sit slumped over or slouch as we stand, we give off the impression that we’re trying to be smaller - trying not to be noticed.
As soon as we adjust this pose and sit up taller, we instantly feel better about ourselves.
Try it, I dare you.
PLAY THAT (funky) MUSIC
Is there anything more powerful than music?
You’ve had a hard day, throw on some rock.
You need a good cry, push play on a power ballad.
You need a quick confidence boost, put on a rap song.
So rap may not work for everyone but I find nothing more empowering than nailing every word to Drake’s In My Feelings or Nicki Minaj’s Superbass. In fact, it’s actually how I prepare for calls with my clients.
The point of this exercise is to find a song (or a few) that makes you feel awesome. Something upbeat that you know all the words to so you can sing your little heart out.
I recommend creating a playlist of 5-10 of your favourite songs that you can play each morning to get you feeling confident about the day ahead.
SMILE (say cheeeeese)
This is hands down the easiest activity of them all.
Smiling - and I’m not talking a half hearted smile that barely sees the corners of your mouth lift - makes us feel so damn good.
Part your lips, show your teeth and grin from ear to ear.
When we smile, we feel happy and when we’re happy we feel more confident.
So, what are you waiting for? Smile your cheesiest smile and while you’re at it, don’t be afraid to give a little giggle at how silly you look smiling at your screen….