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Monday 16 September 2013

How To Increase Self Confidence

By Marie M. Clarke


How to improve self-esteem quickly, easily and effectively is now achievable. What do you suppose you can do that within minutes will raise your-self esteem? The answer may surprise you.Exercise is great way to lose weight and get fit, but did you know that exercise can also make you happier, help you handle stress better, reduce anxiety and raise your self-esteem? When you exercise, your pituitary gland releases endorphins, the hormones that make you feel good. Research has been done on the effectiveness of endorphins, and the results show that endorphins are just as effective as anti-depressants when it comes to making you feel good.

Think about it for a moment: after a good workout, whether it's in a gym or out jogging, how do you feel? Are you happier? Do you feel good? Do you feel less stressed? Hours later, do you find that you sleep better and deeper? And the great thing is when you feel happier, when you feel good and less stressed your level of self-esteem increases.Can you now see that how to improve self-esteem is easy? Exercise can dramatically affect your attitude in a positive way. Studies have shown that by jogging, brisk-walking or even gardening outside you can change your attitude, even if you jogged slowly for five minutes.Many of us are aware of the numerous benefits we gain from exercising, yet few take action in the long-term and stick to an exercise routine. The simplest way to get started is to find an exercise that you enjoy or may enjoy doing.

Focus on Your Success.It is a great way of gaining some confidence if you look fondly at some things you have achieved in life. It is easy to focus on what you have not achieved in life and lose confidence. But if you focus on things that you have done over the years, can help you rediscover your talents and abilities and help improve self confidence consequently.Write Down a List of All the Things You are Proud of.You need to believe in yourself and to do so you need to look at things you have done in the past or achieved that makes you feel proud of. Recognizing your own good qualities and all the good things you have done will remind you of your abilities and inspire you to achieve more. Making a list of all the good things you have done in life and using the list when you are in low self confidence can be very therapeutic.

Some of those efforts may involve:Taking a leadership positions in another organization.Find a mentor in your niche.Hire a coach that has a track record of success in your market place.Join a mastermind group that has been meeting regular for over 1 year.Take a speech class to work on improving your presentation communication skills and overcome a common fear which will help to increase your self confidence.Also, Be mindful of the information your reading, listening to, studying. Be aware of bad news but use logic when addressing it. Try not to waste too much valuable time getting distracted surfing the web or watching videos on YouTube.

You should not feel ashamed of or insecure because of your past or current circumstances when it comes to improve self confidence. Be positive, get a good hobby, and talk yourself up to feel confident. Always try to stay focused on your positives to get rid of low self confidence and esteem.One of the questions psychologists and counselors of all kinds find themselves having to deal with rather frequently nowadays is the question on how to improve self esteem. Majority of the people who pose this question tend to be those who have come to the conclusion that most of the unhappiness in their lives is attributable to low self esteem. They therefore seek to know how they can improve their self-esteem, and hence overcome the unhappiness in their lives brought about by low self esteem -- conversely increasing the happiness in their lives.The relationship between low self esteem and unhappiness.The presumption that at least some unhappiness is brought about by low self esteem is one we have to deal with, before proceeding with this discussion on how to improve self esteem and increase one's happiness. We first of all need to deal with the question as to whether, indeed, it is true that some unhappiness is brought about by low self esteem. Whilst most people have already accepted it (that some unhappiness is brought about by low self esteem) as a statement of fact, there are those who opt to contest it. But given the fact that this is not really a discussion on the relationship between low self esteem and unhappiness, we won't dwell too much on that question.

Self esteem is broadly how we feel about ourselves. Self esteem is not something that we inherit from our parents or something that we have the moment we are born. Everybody wants a life filled with success and happiness; but this is often difficult to accomplish, especially for those who have low self-esteem. Good thing there are things we can do to improve our self esteem. But, you can't just improve your self esteem right away, it is a long and often difficult process that needs determination. Below are 7 easy steps to guide you on how to improve self esteem:Stop comparing yourself with others. Inasmuch as you are more gifted or gifted than others, there are also others who have more than what you have. If you keep on comparing, you will find yourself feeling inferior very often.

Have a realistic assessment of life's problems. So you can find appropriate solutions to your problems, you have to evaluate them realistically. For example, traffic and a bad hair day won't become problems if you don't evaluate them as such. Difficulties, problems and obstacles will always be a part of life. So you need to learn to accept the fact that life is and will never be perfect. If you are able to see things in a realistic perspective, you will be able to face problems and challenges more effectively.

Be in a social circle of people who makes you feel significant and happy. If you form friendships with people who are pessimistic and controlling, you are likely going to feel bad about yourself most of the time. On the other hand, being in the company of people who listens to you, encourages and accepts you, you are sure to be on your way to a healthier level of self esteem.Know which things actually trigger low self-esteem. Take note of what your triggers are and try to avoid them or better yet, learn ways to better cope with them. If your appearance is causing you to feel bad about yourself, then work on improving it--exercise, eat well and dress sharply.

Self affirmation as a way to improve self esteem.One of the ways in which you can treat yourself as a dear friend, and hence improve your self esteem would be by affirming yourself. Friends affirm each other (not necessarily through the use of the so-called 'affirmations' but also through their moment to moment dialogs). Thus, if your moment to moment dialog with yourself is self-affirming, rather than self-depreciating, you are likely to ultimately end up with high self esteem. Of course, to change yourself in this way, you'd have to change your long-held thinking habits - which can be a challenging piece of work -- but the benefits are worth the effort.Keeping promises to oneself as a way to improve self esteem.Another way in which you can treat yourself as a dear friend and hence improve your self esteem would be by keeping promises you make to yourself. Friends keep the promises they make to each other. In this context, this mostly means acting on your plans (rather than chronically messing up with your plans). If you plan to do something, and you don't do it, your self-esteem actually takes a beating.

Do something! You will not develop high self-esteem if you sit on the sidelines and back away from obstacles. Taking action will make you feel better about yourself, regardless if you succeed or fail. If you let your fear and anxiety hold you back from taking action, you will end up feeling frustrated, sad and discontented with yourself.

Learn to forgive yourself when you don't accomplish all that you set out to. All of us falls short sometimes, but rather than focusing on the negative aspects, learn to adjust your goals so that you have a better chance of meeting them. Almost any negative experience can be turned into a positive experience with the right mindset.Most people do not see just how potentially damaging low self esteem can be. Thankfully, our self esteem is not permanent--we can always work on improving it for the better. I hope these simple suggestions on how to improve self esteem has helped you in some way.




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