4 simple and practical exercises to have more self-confidence –

When you look in the mirror or see yourself in a situation like a work meeting, you feel confident? Self-confidence is a key point in the self-love speech, but it seems much simpler to talk about it than to actually feel more confident.

This is a job that takes time and a lot of practice. That’s why we talked to the clinical psychologist Gina Machado to understand how the self-reliance process works.

WHAT IS SELF-CONFIDENCE?

“Self-confidence means confidence in yourself and in your own abilities, qualities and judgments”, explains Ghina. “It’s when you have the conviction of being able and capable of doing or accomplishing something.”

the self-confidence is one of the pillars of self-esteem and a relevant factor for a good performance in any situation. In other words, developing a healthy level of self-confidence can contribute to success in your professional and personal life, as it leads to less self-doubt and a more fulfilling life.

The good news for those insecure on duty is that self-confidence can indeed be developed at any time in life. But, as we explained in the first paragraphs of this text, it is not as simple as it seems. Feeling a little confident is the result of a life story, in which the first relationships and human experiences collaborated for this constitution.

“In some situations, deeper work is needed, such as Psychotherapy”, continues the psychologist. “In other contexts, it is possible to make some simpler changes that help us improve our belief in the ability to perform something.”

The process towards self-confidence goes through a series of steps that go beyond simple actions (but which can be effective), such as putting on clothes that you feel good in or saying positive affirmations about yourself in front of the mirror. It encompasses insight into your behavior patterns, self-awareness and self-acceptancesearch for social integrity, self-care practices and, of course, self-compassion and facing fears and doubts.

“Self-confidence is essential for us to be successful in what we set out to do”, says Ghina. “Knowing ourselves, accepting who we are and having more self-confidence allows us to have a more authentic life. Being careful with ourselves, being aware of our difficulties, making peace with what limits us, expanding our possibilities for action, allows us to evolve and have significant opportunities.”

Accepting our ability to fulfill a task makes us assume a positive attitude in the face of new challenges, after all, self-confidence works as a motivator for behavior. If a person believes that he can do something, he tries and does not give up in the face of some obstacles, but he persists more diligently and, therefore, the probability of success is greater.

“On the other hand, when I don’t believe in my ability to accomplish something, I tend to have derogatory thoughts and insecurities, which makes me give up easily and not reach the goal, generating failure and increasing the feeling of inability”, explains Ghina.

HOW TO DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCE?

With the above points in mind, it’s interesting to realize that self-confidence often needs a little push to develop. That is, having professional help, such as a psychologist or therapist, can be essential in this process. Still, there are exercises that are recognized by science as boosters of greater self-confidence.

1

Do a “Power Pose”

Wonder Woman had a traditional pose: standing, legs slightly wider than hip-width apart, hands on hips, chin up, challenging enemies. Far from comics and hero movies, the pose became known as a “power pose”, that is, a body posture that interferes with someone’s internal sensation.

Harvard professor, Amy Cuddy, explained in a famous TED Talk how body posture can interfere with your confidence levels: for example, “power poses”, according to his study, are proven to increase testosterone levels in the blood and decrease those of cortisol by 25% in just two minutes. That is: less stress and more confidence, literally!

two

He used to smile

Believe it or not, the famous phrase “fake it until you make it” has a grain of truth. Smiling helps lower stress levels and also controls your heartbeat. When in doubt, cracking a smile – and continuing to smile – even if it’s not immediately sincere, can go a long way toward helping you feel confident in the moment.

3

Have someone to vent to

Many studies show the importance of having a support network available at all times – not just when you are experiencing problems. When you feel insecure, it’s worth looking for that person you can trust and ease your pain to then act. And, of course, the reciprocal is not only true, but necessary! Building relationships of reciprocity, in which you can count on the other and he on you, are the basis of self-confidence.

4

Listen to powerful music

Music can change our inner feeling – and that’s nothing new. So much so that there are studies that show how some specific songs (like “We Will Rock You”, by the classic rock group Queen) have the ability to increase our feeling of confidence.

This, by the way, is the perfect excuse for you to put together a playlist with those songs that make you feel more energized and listen to it whenever you need a little push.