#MondayMotivation: WAYS TO BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL

Use positive self-talk. Positive daily affirmations can help you to be more confident. Take a few moments before you go to work or school to look at yourself in the mirror and say something encouraging to yourself. You can either say something that you believe about yourself or something that you would like to believe about yourself. Some examples of positive affirmations include:

• “I am an intelligent person.”
• “I am a good father.”
• “I have accomplished many important things in my life.”
• “People enjoy spending time with me.”

Negative thoughts are common in all people, but they may be even more common if you lack confidence. It is important to acknowledge and challenge any negative thoughts that you have in order to be confident. Practice acknowledging the thought and then saying what you do not accept it.

• For example, if you have the thought, “I am stupid,” acknowledge that it is just a thought by saying to yourself, “I am having the thought that I am stupid.” Then, challenge the thought by replacing it with something positive like, “I am an intelligent person.

Visualization is a powerful tool that can help you to be more confident. To use visualization, close your eyes and imagine a time when you succeeded at something or when you felt especially confident. Try to remember every detail of that moment, where you were, who was there, what was said, and how you felt. Replay this moment over in your head once a day to help build your selfconfidence.

Little reminders placed all around your house may also help you to be more confident. Write positive messages to yourself on sticky notes and post them all around your house, in your drawers at work, or in your locker at school. The more you see these positive messages about yourself, the more you will start to believe them.

• Some things you might write on the sticky notes include, “You are brilliant!” “You have the best ideas!” or “You’re doing a great job!” Use your imagination to come up with encouraging messages to leave for yourself.

Other people can also have a big impact on your confidence levels. If you have a friend who often criticizes you or who has a negative attitude, it may be time for a change. You can also try talking to your friends about their negative comments to try to get them to stop saying things that damage your confidence.

• Keep in mind that you cannot change the way that people are. You can only change the way that you respond to people. Try to stay positive even if the people around you are negative.

Exercise, healthy food, rest, and relaxation are all important components in good self-confidence. By taking good care of yourself, you are sending your mind signals that you deserve to be taken care of. Make sure that you are devoting enough time to meeting your basic needs for exercise, food, sleep, and relaxation.

• Aim for 30 minutes of exercise per day.
• Eat a balanced diet of healthy whole foods like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.
• Get 8 hours of sleep per night.