Allie Cass Health & Fitness helps driven, high-achieving women reclaim a life of health, strength, and vitality, so they can live each day fully alive. Reach out today for more info! hello@alliecasshealth.com
If you feel like you're stuck in a rut, rest assured you're not alone. Social media may convince you otherwise, but everyone goes through moments when their confidence takes a knock or they feel tired and uninspired.
Here's the good news: Slumps don't last forever. With some simple changes, you can develop the confidence you need to start a new and fulfilling chapter of your life. Allie Cass Health & Fitness shares a few tips.
Improve Your Work-Life Balance
Are you working long hours at the salon or studio and at the end of your rope? Chat with your boss about your workload so management can make adjustments or find someone to assist you. If there’s a personality conflict at work, it’s time to address the issue, not just for your emotional wellbeing but so you’ll be more productive overall. Take steps like reframing the situation and never responding immediately to the person who’s irking you.
If you're in a leadership position at work, delegate tasks more efficiently or carve out some time in your schedule for a break. In a productivity-centric environment, don't forget you're a human, not a machine.
Invest in Your Health
Fitness isn’t just about aesthetics. The rush of endorphins you get after exercise boosts your mood, and with consistent workouts, your confidence levels increase over time. Stay motivated by listening to your favorite upbeat tunes or motivational podcasts on your smartphone, and if you’re at the gym make sure you use your earbuds or AirPods to get the most out of the audio.
Try attending anxiety-reducing therapy sessions, getting enough sleep, and nourishing your system with wholesome foods to round out your wellness goals. When you make healthier choices, you gain more energy and motivation to do difficult but rewarding tasks. In turn, these accomplishments reinforce your self-esteem.
Acts of Service
Random gestures of kindness, volunteering at a charity, or giving gifts can make you feel capable and happy. Cedars-Sinai cites studies that have “linked random acts of kindness to releasing dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain that can give us a feeling of euphoria. This feel-good brain chemical is credited with causing what's known as a ‘helper's high.’ In addition to boosting oxytocin and dopamine, being kind can also increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood.”
Expand Your Horizons
Growth often occurs when you tackle the unfamiliar. Challenge yourself frequently to become comfortable with adapting. This assurance can spill over into other areas of life, enabling you to take intelligent risks with big payoffs. An essential part of this journey is self-awareness. Know where your strengths and limitations lie to create realistic, boundary-pushing aspirations for yourself.
Shoot for something big that will help instill a sense of confidence and accomplishment, like going for that elusive college degree.
These days, it’s possible to enroll in online classes, which makes taking classes so much easier, as the flexibility of studying remotely allows you to keep your job and your lifestyle. Online programs are also much more affordable than traditional brick-and-mortar learning, and the return on the dollar is impressive. For instance, business school students from Western Governors University tout an ROI of between 202 and 267 percent two years after graduation.
Modify Your Look and Your Mindset
If certain kinds of clothing make you feel more outgoing or focused, wear them more often, or get a fresh haircut from a reliable stylist when you need a pick-me-up. Physical change can set a positive paradigm shift in motion.
This extends to your posture, so be conscious of how you carry yourself. Practice arranging your body in natural ways that make you look and feel assertive, and watch people around you start to perceive you differently and treat you with more respect.
Practice Self-Care
Whether you're a stay-at-home mom or a corporate executive, allocate sufficient hours for downtime. Go for a massage, or meet up with close friends or family members.
Meditate or start a gratitude journal where you list your blessings and the moments you've savored in a day. NIH Record points out that these are proven methods of feeling more optimistic and content.
To help build a valuable journaling habit, find a beautiful diary that gets you excited about writing down what you're thankful for.
