You Can Be Confident All Day Long

Every day you are faced with situations that can make or break your confidence. A late start, coffee spill, or inbox full of emails can stress you out, and bring about self-doubt. Interactions with others can lift you up or bring you way down. These experiences don’t have to take over your day, but often times they do. Rather than letting them get to you, try adding in these confidence building activities to keep you thinking positive throughout the day.

In The Morning

• Mornings can feel like madness. When you start the day in a fog or a frazzled mess, it can affect your mood for hours. Stressful mornings make your negative thoughts even more active, especially if you are running late!

• Set an intention. The moment you wake up or hit the shower, set a goal or intention about how you want to feel today. “Today I want to feel confident about my body.” Or “Today I will focus on the positive things in my life.” Whatever you are working on feeling better out or mastering, make that your intention for the day.

• Look at yourself lovingly. When you look in the mirror, complement who you see. Have positive messages, quotes, goals, or affirmations on your mirror or around you to subtly or obviously suggest you have a positive day. If you see yourself and make a critical or judgmental statement, correct it with a positive statement. Even if you don’t believe it your brain will hear it. The more you do this the more you will begin to really believe it.

• Don’t rush. Spend a few minutes to take the time to put your make-up on or press your shirt. Sometimes you have zero time, but feeling confident about your appearance will stick with you throughout the day.

During The Day

There are many moments throughout the day that can push you into negative thinking, and feeling insecure. Instead of letting them pile up, regularly check-in with yourself.

• Complement time. Every time you look in the mirror complement yourself, find something positive about your appearance. If you find that your judging your look, even it out with a positive statement. “My face looks so oily. And my hair is still looking pretty good.” If you hear your inner voice saying “what a stupid mistake, I’m such an idiot.” Talk back to it. Add in “But I did _____well.” Try and balance out the negatives with the positives.

• Access your inner cheerleader. Give yourself a pat on the back or pep talk during everyday experiences. Did you do make it to work on time? Awesome!Did you help out a coworker? What a nice thing to do. Complement and praise your good deeds.

• Set reminders. On your phone, set an alarm to go off a few times a day with your affirmation or intention on the screen. It will help to reinforce the new belief system. Not comfortable with that? Have a few affirmations in your binder or a book that you can go to without others seeing what you are up to.

• Stay active. Talk back and keep track of the mean thoughts on a note pad or in your phone. Notice what is triggering these voices.

Before Bed

Your nighttime routine is just as important, as it impacts how you will feel the next day. A few small adjustments to your evening regimen can make a huge difference tomorrow morning.

• Prep for tomorrow. Pack your bag and pick out your clothes. When you don’t have to stress about these decisions in the morning, your brain has more time to get out the door on time and with a clear mind.

• Review your thoughts. Look at the negative thoughts you wrote down or recall some of the ones that were stuck in your head today. Challenge these statements if you can. Notice what you could do differently tomorrow to keep them at bay.

• Practice positivity. Write down 5 things that went well for you today. This can be as small as getting to talk to a friend on the phone or eating a great lunch. The more you noticed the positives, the more likely they will rule your thoughts.

This may seem like a lot to do, but try practicing a few a days, add them into your routine and see how you feel after a week or so. I hope a bit more positive and a lot more confident in yourself.

Emily is the author of Express Yourself: A Teen Girls Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are.You can visit Emily’s Guidance Girl website. You can also find her on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.