You know when you’re so overwhelmed with work, intrusive thoughts finally start getting their grubby little hands on you?
Maybe I’m not cut out for this after all.
It’s too exhausting.
I took on more than I can handle.
Why did I ever think I could pull this off?
In those moments, it’s important to have some lifelines that can pull you back on course, and off the track toward self-sabotage. To help with this, we gathered the brains of our hive mind for their top 5 tips, and consulted the wisdom of the experts for another 5. This way you have anecdotes and research to provide that SOS when you need it.
WHAT OUR HIVE SAYS:
1. Talk to Your Inner Circle
Having a good support system is essential to your mental health. (If you don’t yet have one, we’ll be delving into that in February, so hang tight.)
Every human needs a closed circle of secret-keepers, who provide sanctuary when you need it most, and a reminder of how wonderful you are when you don’t believe it yourself.
2. Surround Yourself with the Things You Love
Well-loved, familiar things bring us joy, solace, or even confidence. So put on a spritz of your favorite perfume, listen to your most-used playlist, grab your favorite book, or head to your favorite coffee shop, and give yourself a treat.
3. Make a Plan — and Follow It
Feeling in control of your time can give you the boost you need to carry yourself a bit more confidently. Even if it’s a mundane task like drinking 64oz of water today, or getting outside for 15 minutes (see “Get Outside” below), accomplishing small things helps to build a practice of mastery. Give yourself a quick win.
4. Get Outside
Sometimes you need to just step away from everything, even for 20 minutes, and get outside. Breathe the air, listen to the birds if there are any around, and just be for a few minutes. Feel the sun or rain on your face. Stepping away from the angst and moving the body not only reduces stress, but also offers a quick endorphin boost. Your brain will thank you for it.
5. Put On Your Power Bra
No, seriously. Jennifer has often recommended to her clients that they wear a talisman when heading into a big pitch or meeting. Sometimes it’s the most fabulous bra you own, sometimes it’s a favorite piece of jewelry. Think of it as your Wonder Woman cuff.
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY
Sources: Leo Babauta, John Montrey, Sandy Wolfson and Nick Neave, Oxford Learning, Amy Cuddy, Denise Jacobs
6. Ignore Your Inner Critic
It’s that same voice in your head screeching out thoughts that make you feel heavy, dull, nauseous even. It’s a voice, it’s irrelevant and invasive and completely undeeded, sometimes it’s just the opposite of what you need in your day. There’s times for self-growth and reflection, but there’s times that are…not. You need to push that nagging feeling and voice aside, take a hard look at yourself, and say what you are is enough, it’s more than enough even, it’s amazing. You are always going to be you and it’s better to flaunt that rather than let some doubts get you down.
If you want to delve much deeper into this, our friend Denise Jacobs wrote a brilliant book on the subject:
7. Positive Thoughts, Positive Actions
Thinking positively is great, but they’re just thoughts; to create a shift, you must put these things into action. Action is a big key to confidence, and doing something to make yourself or others happy can instantly lift your mood and create a sense of certainty in yourself that translates into confidence.
8. Slow Down Your Speech
It’s a small detail, but it makes a big difference. Individuals who are sure of themselves tend to speak more slowly, like they have all the time in the world. This is in contrast to those who speak faster, like they don’t want to be an inconvenience and make people wait for them. Take up space — and time!
9. Change Your Posture
Thanks to Harvard researcher Amy Cuddy, most humans are now aware of the magic of Power Posing. Straighten that back, take up space, and feel your internal shift in energy. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s her TED on the science of it:
10. Change a Habit
Similar to our “Make a plan and follow it” tip, this points more toward building actual habits, and will bring instant confidence once you have developed your win. So think of this one like an investment in your future boosts. If you frame it as a practice, it allows margin for error so you don’t give up the moment you miss a day. Think of it as the pursuit of mastery. Yes, we beat that drum a lot around here.
Now you have a complete toolkit to shift yourself into a confident state in just a few moments. Go forth and conquer!
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Global Round-Up is our Friday collection of interesting tidbits and tools from around the globe, curated to support you in scaling your idea.