6 Ways to Build Self Confidence

A common theme I have been seeing in my clients lately is a lack of confidence. It shows up in so many different ways. I think most often we link confidence to beauty money, and status but it can also show up in other areas. Lack of confidence can look like not setting boundaries, not taking care of your physical body, not keeping your word, and even not putting yourself out there for fear of rejection. I get it. The world is scary and you never know how people will respond. Still there has to be a moment where that does not matter because the thing you are going after matters more. I think self confidence kicks in here. It allows you t feel the fear but do the thing anyway.

What is self-confidence? It is defined as a feeling – a feeling of trust in one’s qualities, capabilities, and judgment. Confidence is also trusting that you are enough and the decisions you make for yourself are correct- and even of it goes left knowing you do not have to beat yourself up about it. It can bring more benefits than you think. 

Here are four I bet you have not considered:

You perform better. You don’t waste your time worrying about what you are not, instead you are more confident of what you are capable of and what you can become.

You gain healthier relationships. You understand what you bring to the relationship and how you want to be treated which impacts the way you form relationships with others

You are more open to new things. It becomes easier to say yes to more opportunities and possibilities.

You get back up when you fall. Understanding that you will not always get it right you become more resilient and thrive even in the midst of a challenging situation.

It is so much easier said than done especially considering everyone has a different set of life situations. The more I talk to people the more I understand it is not as easy as just do it. It does not always come easy  or naturally for everyone, so here are some practical ways you can start to boost your confidence.

1. Work out

I get it. Between jobs and facing other personal battles, it’s difficult to start working out let alone keep a routine. But exercising is not just about losing weight or building muscle, it’s also proven to improve mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and other feelings of negativity. It’s also been found to alleviate feelings of low self-esteem as well. Working out requires commitment and just merely sticking to it is in itself an accomplishment. Doesn’t accomplishing something make you feel good?

2. Take responsibility for yourself.

You have to understand that you and only you can make things happen in your life - not anybody else. You have to make that decision about what you want to accomplish. If you always spend all your time waiting for things to happen for you, you are in for a huge disappointment. For instance, how would you know if you are not fit for a job if you never apply?

3. Choose to surround yourself with positive people.

Those you spend a lot of your time with may influence your thoughts and impact the way you see yourself in a big way. People can be overly judgmental to others, and sometimes even those close to us could trigger our anxiety and make us feel even worse. While it is important to have a strong support system, pay attention to how people in your life make you feel. Are they encouraging? Do they make you feel like you can do better and be better? How about your family? Analyze how they make you feel and choose to surround yourself with those who make you feel better, obviously while still holing you accountable.

4. Practice positive self-talk.

We are our own worst enemy and our own biggest critic. Being honest with yourself is good, but you also have to be kind. Negative self-talk may bring out the worst in you and may limit your abilities. If you constantly tell yourself that you are not good enough, you will eventually believe it and that’s not going to help you in any way. Reframe your thoughts and practice positive self-talk. Instead of saying “you can’t do anything right” try saying “I can do better next time.”

5. Take one step at a time.

You don’t have to do challenging things right away just to make yourself more confident. Sometimes it’s easy to take one small step like do something that makes you uncomfortable at least once in a while. Thinking about my earlier point to exercise- you do not have to wake up tomorrow and be a gladiator. Start small, try taking a walk and build from there.

6. Celebrate small things and small victories.

You are alive and healthy. You were able to accomplish a task you have been holding off on for a while. You went out and bought yourself a coffee even though you were feeling anxious. These things are enough for you to celebrate. One of the best ways to gain self-confidence is by appreciating the things you can do no matter how small it is. You don’t have to wait for that big moment to celebrate. Sometimes, you get focused on the big thing when it’s the small things that really count. Try to write down a couple of things you did well at the end of each day. You are probably doing better than you think.

It all starts with you. Consider what step you are willing to take today. A bonus thing I think may be worth mentioning is to get a mentor. There are times when you just can’t do it on your own and need some guidance. Find someone who can show you how, like a mentor or a coach (dare I say a therapist). Ask them for an action plan that you can both implement. Or maybe, just have a conversation with them which will help you pick up nuggets of wisdom. Confident people are ready to help because they know they have been down that road before – not knowing what to do and the effort that it took to achieve their goal.

How will you start to build your confidence?

5 Ways to Practice Radical Acceptance

I was in a session last week and my client said “I already know you are going to say, I need to practice radical acceptance.” Before I could respond I just had to smile.  I smiled because she was right. I love me some radical acceptance. While the basic premise of radical acceptance is “it is what it is” it has allowed me to increase the joy I have in my life and I can’t help but encourage my clients to try it.

So what is radical acceptance? Radical Acceptance is one of the tenets of Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT) created by Psychologist Marsha Lineham. Radical acceptance is accepting the situation as it is for the facts, and removing the emotion. It is a conscious decision to accept things outside of your control without judgment. When done correctly this concept will help you not allow the pain of life to become suffering. Pain is temporary and suffering is longer lasting. The ultimate goal of radical acceptance is progression and growth rather than stagnation and clinging to the past. Heavy disclaimer radical acceptance should not be utilized is in the case of abusive relationships, or dangerous or life-threatening situations.

Recognizing that things are outside of our control can help alleviate a lot of anger, sadness, and other strong emotion. This does not mean you agree with what is happening. It simply means that you are no longer fighting against the reality of what is. Some people struggle to accept situations because they believe that accepting means agreeing with what happened or saying that everything is fine and no that is not true. Blaming yourself or others, or wishing things could be different, will keep you trapped in a bad situation. Some people are unwilling to accept the pain that comes with acceptance. But remember pain is temporary.

The facts of a situation rarely change so fighting against it does not serve you. I get it though it is so much easier said than done. Is here are 5 ways to help you practice radical acceptance.

1. Acknowledge - Acceptance does not condone or agree with the situation, but rather acknowledges its existence. Instead of remaining in denial, once you recognize what's going on, you'll be better able to take action to change the situation. Acceptance frees you by allowing you to see more options.

2. Examine and Look for an alternative – Look at everything that has occurred up to this point. The current scenario is unavoidable given the preceding chain of events. Some of these events were caused by your actions, while others were not. You had a role to play even if you weren't in command. Now how can you see the situation differently? Is there a silver lining? Is there a lesson to be learned from this occurrence?

3. Stop Judging yourself - Negative self- and other-judgment is a significant drain on our ability to be focused and present. Stop criticizing and condemning yourself for the situation you have found yourself in and work to be and do better. The energy it takes to be negative could be used to change or improve the situation. Judgment really just results in more emotional turmoil.

4. Consider - Life is still worth living even when there is pain. Pain is not always bad, sometimes it is needed for our growth. Pain causes a change that peace often does not.

5. Change- Are you stuck or just stuck in the thought cycle? Change the situation that is causing you stress if you can. Remove yourself, leave the relationship or the job or whatever it is. After that you have to accept this is where you are at least for now. Consider what are you willing to do to no longer suffer.

Radical acceptance is not something that can be achieved in a single moment. It is a conscious and continued effort and a willingness to think differently. Accept that there are things you can't change and keep moving forward. Some people have fought this idea for a long time because they want control, even though it isn't always possible. Think about what is troubling you now… think real hard… what in that situation is in your control? Probably not much. That is fine accept what it is and then work on what will be next. You have the ability to do this it will just take some time and intention.

Don't be the Dead Battery in Your Relationship

I have really been working hard to make sure I am doing all the things I tell others to do. Part of that is sticking to my goal of cleaning the living room nightly. Something about heading out the door in the morning and passing the mess bothers me (it must just be me because the kids don't seem to be in any hurry to pick up after themselves).

Anyway, I was cleaning my living room for the hundredth time this particular day and I heard the familiar noise of a talking toy dying.  Unless you are a parent or have children's battery powered toys in your home you may not recognize the noise. When a toy is dying the voice is fake scary deep and it drags on like it is being chopped and screwed.

Before I get to the point I just want to ask why is it when a battery powered toy is dying the toy talks/makes noise when no one is playing with it. Like it is randomly calling out for help. How is this even happening? Ok back to the point.

As a parent, I can hear a dying toy a mile away. I immediately thought to myself “where are my batteries”.  I went to the battery bag (I am a parent, and there is a bag for everything) I only found one in the size I needed. Since children have some sort of innate alarm that goes off when you are moving or otherwise bothering the toy they have not looked at in months my son comes running in the room. Of course, since I am holding his toy it is now the best things ever and he wants it. As I looked into my son’s beautiful brown eyes I knew what I had to do.

I only changed one of the batteries. I knew when I put the good battery in the toy with the dying battery it wouldn’t last. I really only wanted it to last until he lost interest again, or until I could get to the store for more batteries. No, I couldn't go right then I was cleaning remember. The day went on and I eventually forgot and like clockwork two days later there is the toy sounding like a bad remix again. I knew when I forced the good battery to do all the work the toy would not last.

Now, why would I tell you this story? To set the stage for what is next because the whole post couldn't be about batteries right? As a relationship expert, I see the world and most activities in relationships. Simple things like the battery incident made me think of my clients and some of the relationship issues they are experiencing.

They are having these issues because one if not both of them is the dead battery. In a relationship, you need two whole, happy, healthy people for it to work.  If not the relationship is doomed. Sorry, I aint sorry. If one person is the dying battery the other person ends up doing all the work, and eventually they become drained or sick. Now you have two “dead” people in a dysfunctional “relationship”. Life is hard enough and we all have our issues. The stress of carrying our load, and adding a second load with no help is just too much work.`

What is a “dead” battery in terms of relationships? It is a person who is not pulling their weight for whatever reason. This person has not addressed their own issues, whatever the issues may be. This can be financially, emotionally, spiritually, and even physically. To be clear I am not saying a person on a journey is “dead”, as being on the journey indicates life. We all have to grow, and we should allow our loved ones the space to do the same.

I am talking about the people who are deep in their issue and not looking for a way out. For example, a person who may have had a bad relationship in the past and is not making any effort to heal and are also bringing their old baggage into their relationship would be considered a “dead” person.

Think about your last relationship, why did it end? Were one of you giving your all and the other not so much? Who was the dead battery in that relationship, if there was one? Who was not carrying their weight? Who was not growing in the relationship?

Life is about change and growth. When you refuse to grow you die. Do you want your 10-year-old acting as a 5-year-old? Hopefully, the answer is no. You want them to grow, learn and expand their thinking. The same applies to you. When I told you the story of the dying toy it was easy to identify the issue. The dead battery drained the new battery. Why is so hard for people to look at their lives with the same simplicity? If you are not in a good space mentally how do you expect to sustain a relationship? Grow, learn and do not attach yourself to dead batteries. Most importantly don't be the dead battery.

Have you ever had to end a relationship because it was too draining?

Hello, You Are Enough

We as women are so hard on each other and even more so on ourselves. We are constantly comparing ourselves to what we think the standard is. But who the hell set the standard? (I am 100% sure no one called me when the standard was set because I never would have agreed to working 5five days and resting two ijs) 

The standard in your house should be what YOU say it is. Now once you set the standard please stick to it, and do not be afraid to elevate it when needed. Complacency is NOT sexy. Just make sure it is realistic and attainable. Your life will never be like Beyonce’s because that life is already taken. This is not to say dont reach for greatness it is more to say be happy with what you have while working to do better.

Stop caring about what other women are doing in their homes, and make your home the best home for your life. There is nothing wrong with asking another mom how she gets her newborn to sleep, or even what type of cleaner she uses. The problem is when you envy her cleaning style, and how she parents.

So what the lady on Pinterest cooks dinner on days ending with y and you only cook on days starting with T. If it works for your family and your husband is not complaining keep it up. Throw in a Wednesday meal and see how happy hubby is.  Do not beat yourself up because you are living your life and managing your home differently than the next woman. 

Parenting is the same way. Similac vs breast milk, cloth diapers vs disposable there is an argument for everything. Does it really matter as long as your child is loved, fed, and dry? Huggies or Honest Company it doesn’t matter what it is we can seem to find something to argue about or condemn ourselves, and other women about. You have to do what works for you, and never let anyone make you feel less than.  Especially when you are giving it all you got every day.

My 11 year old got two weeks of breast milk and she reads at a 9th grade level. So my guess is she is very smart seeing as how she is only in 5th grade (her birthday is in December you do the math). 

There are exceptions to every rule. What works for me will not always work for you. Really that is what life is, finding your own way. If you feel like you are doing all you can, than you just might be. However we all know when we could be doing more. If that is you then just do more. It really is that simple. You are enough wifey.

Stay positive and focused lovely!