by The Lovely Refinement Team | Apr 7, 2022 | Self-Confidence, Self-Esteem & Self-Love
Let’s face it: we all want to be more confident. As a woman, being self-assured is a trait that most people search for their entire lives.
Even if you don’t like the idea of being the life of every party or walking into a room with heads turning, confidence can help you earn respect from those around you and give your self-esteem a boost as well as boost performance in almost every activity you do. Even though confidence seems like an intangible quality, it is actually made up of many components that anyone can learn and utilize in order to become more confident on any given day.
So where does one start?
There are lots of strategies available for self-confidence. Here are 11 tried-and-tested ones that you can try for yourself:
11 Activities Women Can Use for Building Confidence
1. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
This one is all about perspective.
When you are busy putting other people’s lives on a pedestal, you are essentially denying the wonderful person that you are and making yourself seem less significant in comparison to their greatness.
Instead of comparing yourself to others, why not concentrate on your own journey? Celebrate what makes you unique instead of tearing yourself down because someone else does it better than you do – remember that everyone has different strengths! Once you begin focusing on this positive mindset, confidence will come easier to you naturally.
2. Accept Compliments With A Smile And Say ‘Thank You’
We all know the phrase: modesty is a virtue. And while it may be true, you don’t have to become so modest that you always brush off people’s compliments as being untrue.
Even if you have your doubts about what someone says about you, learn to accept those words with grace and a warm smile instead of dismissing them or adding a disclaimer along the lines of “Oh, but I haven’t done anything to deserve this compliment…”
By brushing away kind words from others, you are essentially telling yourself that their praise isn’t worth much. After all, if their opinions matter so little to us, why should we care? Always thank a person when they give you a compliment – in any situation! You will be surprised by the difference it makes.
3. Make Eye Contact During Conversations But Don’t Forget To Listen
As a woman, when talking to someone, make sure to maintain eye contact with them for most of the conversation. It shows that you are paying attention and care about what they have to say.
However, don’t forget to listen as well! If your partner in the conversation has something important to add, do not ignore their words because you were too busy looking elsewhere while they spoke.
We all lose focus from time to time however, make sure that doesn’t happen during an important discussion or when one of your friends needs you.
Maintain eye contact, but also work at maintaining focus.
4. Dress to Impress (Yourself)
By dressing the part, you are essentially telling yourself that you can do anything.
When you look good, your brain tells itself that you are ready to take on any challenge that comes your way. And wearing something comfortable, will also boost your confidence because who wants to let anxiety get in the way of looking fabulous?
So next time you have a big presentation at work or want to feel more confident, make sure to dress for success – it works!
5. Fake It & ‘Til You Make It
We’ve all heard the phrase before, fake it ’til you make it.
For many people who struggle with low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy, acting as though they possess confidence can be a helpful way to become more confident in the long term.
So instead of getting stuck in a rut because you doubt your abilities, start faking it until you actually feel it! Your body language will change and people will begin taking notice. Before you know it, your true self will come shining through and all those around you will see how amazing you really are.
6. Keep A Journal About All The Things You Love About Yourself
As the old saying goes: if you don’t love yourself then no one else can love you either. So why not take some time for yourself every day and write down all the things that make YOU unique?
If you are anything like us, there are probably dozens of reasons why you are amazing. Start this journal as a way to recognize all the things that make you an incredible person!
Once you start doing this on a daily basis, your confidence will flourish because instead of letting your insecurities hold you back, you will be able to let them go – one by one.
7. Practice Meditation To Clear Your Mind
Meditation is an incredibly helpful practice for anyone struggling with anxiety or stress. It can be difficult at first but over time you will notice reduced feelings of worry and negativity because meditation helps clear your mind so no more thoughts have room to run wild inside it.
This practice may take some getting used to, but it is well worth the effort because meditation brings you one step closer to inner peace.
8. Get To Know Yourself More By Writing A Self-Esteem Letter
Another great way of boosting your confidence and self-worth is by writing a letter to yourself!
Take some time every day and try writing down all of the best things about you and why they matter so much to those around you, whether that’s your partner, parents, or friends.
Think of this as an assignment: reread your letter as many times as needed until you begin feeling better about yourself. Nobody else needs to see this list, so don’t worry about sharing it with others just yet – just focus on what makes you special!
9. Give Yourself A Compliment Everyday
This is another simple yet effective way to boost your confidence and make yourself feel good about the things you already do every day.
Every night before bed, write down one thing that you love about yourself or did well throughout the day. It could be something as small as paying off a bill on time or making it to work on time without hitting any traffic.
Then once you finish writing down everything that makes you great, tuck it away somewhere safe where no one else can see until tomorrow’s list is ready for writing! Keep this up every day and soon enough, your list will have some very long entries because there are so many qualities that make you so special.
10. Let Go Of Things That Aren’t Going To Make You Happy
In order to feel good about yourself and be confident in who you are, you have to believe that your life is worth living – which means taking steps every day to remove the things from your life that don’t make you happy anymore.
For example, one or two relationships may not be working out the way we thought they would, and holding on to them can be detrimental if it begins making us unhappy instead of happy. So cut ties with those people and surround yourself with those who make you feel good about yourself and help you grow.
11. Set Goals And Be Grateful For Everything You Accomplish
For some, setting goals can be an incredibly daunting task.
However, we promise you, that even if you’re someone who doesn’t typically set short-term or long-term goals for yourself, it will be well worth it in the end when you start seeing all of your hard work pay off.
Every time you accomplish something that is important to you, write it down and add it to a running list of everything that makes you happy and everything that inspires you; this will also give weight to how much progress is being made by you which helps fuel your motivation to continue on the path of success.
Another thing that can really help with this is if you frame each goal with a positive affirmation, like “I Am Grateful” or “I Am Confident” – doing this will make it easier to embrace all the things you are capable of and help keep yourself accountable for achieving them!
Wrapping up
All of these tips can help build your confidence as a woman. This is because as you become happier with yourself, the more confident you will become too – even if it does take a little extra time and effort!
by The Lovely Refinement Team | Mar 29, 2022 | Self-Confidence, Self-Esteem & Self-Love, Self-Improvement
A lot of where we are in life has to do with our own personal levels of confidence and self-esteem. Self-esteem is simply confidence in one’s worth and abilities. When we are low in self-esteem, we tend to doubt our abilities and question our value. However, when self-esteem is high, a person feels empowered and capable of having whatever their heart desires.
It’s no secret that our life is a result of what we do. And, our actions are a result of how we think and how we feel. Moreover, when someone doesn’t think highly of themselves, there is a tendency to settle for a life of mediocrity. To be clear, living in mediocrity has less to do with living a minimalist life and more to do with settling for things you don’t truly want out of fear.
It’s important for us to know what we want for ourselves, what makes us fulfilled. For example, you may dream of having your very own hair salon. However, you may also struggle with low self-esteem and self-doubt. Thus, out of fear, you don’t pursue that dream. Instead, you choose to settle for something you deem a bit more “practical”.
All women should understand that confidence has the ability to lift the weight off your shoulders and make the unattainable look tangible. What appears impossible starts to look very probable as we begin to feel more capable in our abilities.
Such confidence and self-assurance should be instilled from childhood to ensure a very healthy, productive, and self-sufficient, adult life. However, such experiences don’t always pan out that way especially when dealing with generational trauma. In this case, a scarcity mindset and low self-esteem are things that can be passed down.
While we can’t select all of the experiences we have in life, we can surely choose how we want to respond to these experiences.
To improve self-esteem, we must have self-accountability. If you’re a woman looking to boost your confidence and self-esteem, it’s important to understand the signs of low self-esteem, the importance of having confidence, and tips to help you boost your confidence.
Where Low Self-Esteem Comes From
A struggle with low self-esteem can come from many different places. Here are a few examples.
Toxic Dating Relationships
Toxic relationships have the ability to deteriorate our self-esteem. Such relationships entail abusive language, physical abuse, betrayal, trust issues, and co-dependency. None of these things exemplify love nor is it healthy to entertain.
Unsupportive Parents
Perhaps we didn’t hear the encouraging words we needed to hear from our parents. This lack of approval and recognition is something that can stick with us for a long time. Without encouragement and support, one can grow up with a lot of self-doubt, questioning their ability to accomplish certain tasks.
Childhood Abuse & Neglect
Childhood abuse and neglect are major factors that contribute to low self-esteem. While a large part of how others treat us is dependent upon how we treat ourselves, it wasn’t always like this. As children growing up, how others treated us determined how we’d treat ourselves including ourselves. In cases of childhood abuse and neglect, a child may internalize this treatment as something normal.
Bullying
When we’re younger, we are especially sensitive to the harsh words others project onto us. It is why children often internalize these harsh words. In the fragile mind of a growing child, these words often solidify as belief systems when left to fester.
But bullying can happen in our adult lives too such as in the workplace.
Negative People
Constantly being around negative people is a sure way to minimize one’s self-esteem. The subconscious mind is like a sponge that soaks up everything it hears and sees. When around people who complain about hardship all the time, we are more likely to share these feelings and victim mindset.
Comparing Yourself to Others
Comparing yourself to another can make us question our worth. This can be especially dangerous when aspiring to have things that don’t make you happy. It’s like trying to squeeze into a shoe that isn’t your size and then crying about it. We are all different. Avoidance of acknowledging one’s uniqueness is one way to diminish self-esteem.
Unrealistic Expectations
Living for others is not only disingenuous to one’s self but it is also frustrating. Everyone has their own ideas regarding success, happiness, and fulfillment. And, it doesn’t always look the same. When we try to meet other peoples’ expectations of us, we find ourselves living a life that isn’t authentic. Instead, it becomes burdensome trying to maintain a facade.
Traumatic Events
Issues of low self-esteem usually begin at a tender age. Traumatic events can trigger these things. For example, children often blame themselves when witnessing parental conflicts such as fighting or divorce. Many kids believe these occurrences are at their own fault. This places a major burden on a child where they feel like they’re the root cause of the turmoil and chaos.
Signs of Low Self-Esteem
Here are some of the common signs of low self-esteem:
- Avoidance of Trying New Things
- Feeling Lonely and Unwanted
- Fear of Failure
- Unable to Accept Compliments
- Self-Deprecating Humor
- Unmotivated
- Comparing One’s Self to Others
- Staying in Unhealthy Relationships
- Self-Sabotaging
- Anxiety and/or Depression
If you recognize these signs and symptoms in yourself, the following tips can help you take steps towards improving your self-esteem and growing confidence.
Self-Esteem Tips for Women
Forgive Yourself
Guilt, resentment, and regret are all feelings that carry a heavy weight. Boost confidence and improve self-esteem by forgiving yourself first. We should forgive ourselves for the mistakes we’ve made in life and choose to do better. These few decisions do not define us. It is what we choose to do afterward that is a true depiction of who we are.
Identify the Source of Pain
Where is the pain? By identifying the source of our issues with confidence, we can begin to forgive others and forgive ourselves. Knowing this information is key to understanding self-defeatist habits and thought processes.
Forgive Others
Animosity and grudges towards others are also burdensome. It requires a lot of energy to hold onto conflict. Forgive others to relieve yourself of that weight. The act of forgiveness frees us to accept better things into our lives without self-sabotaging good opportunities.
Practice Self-Love
Self-love is a belief and lifestyle which prioritizes self-improvement. By practicing self-love every day, we see our lives transform as our self-perception shifts into a more loving place. Self-love makes us more compassionate towards ourselves. Examples of self-love activities include the tips listed here to boost confidence and improve self-esteem.
Recite Positive Affirmations 
Replace Self-Deprecation with Self-Empowerment by reciting positive affirmations. As previously stated, the subconscious mind is like a sponge. It can also be seen as a garden. Women should water their minds with loving words and positive affirmative statements. Negative affirmations act as weeds that stifle the growth of those beautiful flowers in your garden. By affirming happiness, abundance, and success, weeds of doubt, negativity, and limitation begin to melt away.
Redefine What Happiness Means to You
Live for yourself. Let go of the expectations others have of you. It isn’t your responsibility to fit into the mold other people make for you but to create a mold of your own. Happiness to one person may mean being a successful doctor that makes 6 figures while others find fulfillment in living a minimalist life. It’s up to you to define what happiness and success mean to you.
Create a Gratitude List
Make a list of all the things you’re grateful for. This could be your family, friends, job, pet, etc. Feeling gratitude makes us feel more fulfilled. It’s okay to want more. However, obsessing over what you don’t have contributes to feelings of low self-esteem and not feeling good enough. A gratitude list helps shift this focus into a much healthier place.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation shows us that we aren’t our thoughts nor our emotions. We become observers of these things from an objective stance. After doing mindfulness meditation long enough, we notice certain patterns in our thinking. Thus, we’re able to identify and diffuse triggers, taking our power back.
Remove Toxic People
Remove negative people from your life. Hanging around toxic people is like having a heavy gray cloud following you around. These individuals can even be people we consider our friends and family. Such people may minimize your accomplishments and discourage you from going after your dreams. So, it’s best to keep these people at bay.
Get a Plant
Loneliness is one feeling that accompanies low self-esteem. Having a few household plants helps to alleviate this feeling. It’s nice to surround yourself with life and vibrancy. This acclimates the mind into a healthier space where you don’t feel so lonely. Taking care of these plants will also be therapeutic by giving you a much-needed sense of accomplishment.
Invest in Your Dreams
Acknowledge your strengths and strengthen your weaknesses. All women must know they are deserving of manifesting their dreams. Exercising, eating healthy, and educating yourself are all ways to invest in yourself. Self-knowledge is a wonderful investment. If you want to start a business, invest your time, energy, and money into researching and financing this endeavor.
It’s important for women to improve self-esteem and boost confidence. High self-esteem immediately removes limitations and blockages. It feels like wearing a cape and feeling like you’re capable of moving mountains. When you’re in this space, you feel unmovable, unshakable, and unstoppable. These self-esteem tips for women will help those women struggling with their confidence by providing an effective guideline to follow.
by The Lovely Refinement Team | Mar 24, 2022 | Finding Motivation
Almost everyone has experienced a time in their lives where motivation was a little, if not completely, depleted. Motivation is the strong desire to carry out an act with the goal of achieving some objective. It’s the driving force behind a lot of our decisions. Without motivation, people tend to approach certain tasks with dread and apprehension, making the process rather unenjoyable.
When we aren’t motivated to do something, it feels like we’re trying to push a concrete wall. The resistance seems so great that we may feel as though we don’t have the strength to persevere.
Where a Lack of Motivation Comes From
Women looking to boost motivation should first understand where these feelings usually originate from. In many cases, people who lack motivation discover that there are unhealthy sentiments and beliefs about one’s self lurking beneath the surface. And, these negative beliefs tend to find their origins in things like childhood trauma, bullying, domestic violence, and loss.
- Perceived failures
- Unsupportive parents
- Depression and anxiety
- Self-limiting beliefs
- A lack of quality sleep
- Tendency to procrastinate
- A lack of self-accountability
- Unrealistic expectations
- A stressful environment
- Low self-esteem
How to Get Motivated: 10 Tips for Women
In knowing the signs, we become more self-aware of our habits and thought processes. Once this self-realization has occurred, it’s time to heal. When we nurture and heal ourselves, we become a better version of ourselves. However, when we aren’t confident in who we are, we don’t feel as capable or motivated.
Here are 10 tips women can use to boost their motivation and stay motivated.
1. A Playlist of Motivating Songs
Music has the power to lift our spirits when other things fail to do the trick. Meaningful music has the ability to make us cry, smile, and get goosebumps. Having a to-go-to playlist of motivating songs helps us to get our minds in the right place.
Of course, everyone has a different taste in music. It’s good to recall music that makes us feel focused and inspired. Compile all these songs into a personal playlist. This playlist can be enjoyed in the shower or during a morning run to help set the mood for a productive day.
2. Make a Vision Board
Motivation can leave us when we don’t have a grasp on what we want. In a busy world, our minds can look just as hectic and cluttered. When we don’t have a good direction of where to go, things feel much more complicated. This lack of direction feels especially discouraging.
To alleviate this confusion and motivate one’s self, a woman should reflect on what she wants. In other words, what will bring her peace, fulfillment, and joy?
Once this is known, it helps to create a vision board with pictures representing the goals she has. Seeing this board every day will serve as a constant reminder and motivator on what’s to come if perseverance persists.
3. Identify and Remove the Root of Fear and Doubt
Self-doubt is a huge blockage. It’s also a cause of one’s lack of motivation. A person may unconsciously self-sabotage themselves from feelings of unworthiness and insecurity.
It’s vital to eradicate fear and doubt by identifying their origins. Much of what we believe comes from our experiences growing up. It’s interesting that we aren’t born believing we aren’t attractive or smart. These ideals are almost always imposed or projected on us. And, we have the tendency to believe them.
4. Seek an Adviser for Guidance
Having an advisory or guidance counselor helps a ton. Sometimes, we need to hear an outside voice of reason. Advisers have resources they provide us with to help us achieve our goals. It’s okay to ask for help. Having a support system helps us in our pursuit of self-improvement.
For example, a woman wants to write a book but isn’t motivated due to feeling overwhelmed. She can find encouragement and guidance by reaching out to marketers, writers, publishers, editors, etc. Asking for help takes a lot of pressure off of us, allowing us to see a clear path to achieving our goals.
5. Do Research
Self-knowledge boosts self-esteem. When we feel competent and capable, we feel prepared and motivated to take on the tasks before us. Women must invest in themselves, cultivate their skills, and develop their assets. Hence, it’s incredibly helpful to educate ourselves on the things we are interested in.
6. Review Your Progress
We should always take a moment and look at how far we’ve come. It’s known that people seldom take the time to review their success. Instead, there’s almost an immediate set of new goals and aspirations that follow after the completion of previous goals.
Reviewing our progress gives us a sense of accomplishment which boosts our confidence and self-efficacy.
7. Take a Cold Shower
Cold showers have a host of benefits for our mental, physical, and emotional health. While comfortable, hot showers oftentimes make us feel incredibly lethargic afterward, cold showers activate the sympathetic nervous system, allowing the body to release several stress hormones. We not only feel stress-free after a cold shower, but we also feel fresh, energized, and alert.
8. Speak Words of Encouragement
Negative self-talk is like having a crowd following us around telling us hurtful things to make us doubt ourselves. Many people relate to the influx of negative mental chatter. With this ongoing noise in the mind, it’s hard to think and perform at one’s highest potential.
To alleviate this kind of self-talk, one should fertilize their mind with positive words of encouragement.
9. Remove Negative Nancies
Just as we remove the negative voices that originate from ourselves, it’s equally important to remove the external voices of limitation, scarcity, and fear. It’s common for other people’s emotions to rub off on us. We may feel incredibly motivated one morning. However, as the day progresses, we might hear a slew of negative projections and complaints. Hour by hour, we witness the vibrant motivation and potential of the day begin to fade.
To get motivated, we have to remove negative people from our lives as these individuals have a direct influence on our thoughts, feelings, and actions.
10. Make Your Goals Known
To get motivated, making goals public can be of help. However, it’s important we don’t go telling everyone our dreams as they may not have the vision that we do. Sharing goals with a trusted, supportive friend is ideal. This establishes a sense of solidity and accountability.
Staying Motivated and Resilient in Trying Times
It’s one thing to try to be motivated during the good times, but difficult and challenging times can make it even more difficult. A lot of women have found themselves burned out and motivated since 2020 began. Here are some tips that can help during the not-so-easy times:
Complete Small Tasks
Getting motivated is like building muscles. Without proper conditioning, getting motivated can feel like trying to lift weights outside one’s fitness level. If a person struggles to lift 100 lbs, lifting 150 lbs won’t be a good option just yet.
Motivation is something to be fostered and increased over time. When we overshoot our goals, we end up failing and feeling disappointed as a result. To keep our motivation boosted, it’s important to set and achieve small tasks. We are more likely to achieve these smaller goals than a bunch of bigger goals. Thus, we experience consecutive success.
Listen to Motivational Speeches
Having a self-empowerment routine is important. We should all aim to have a daily routine that aims to establish motivation. Motivational speakers have a way of grabbing our hearts and minds. Finding a motivational speaker that resonates is definitely beneficial for staying inspired.
Look at the Bright Side
As cliche as it sounds, it’s always best to look at a cup as half full rather than half empty. Perspective is everything and it constitutes much of how we see the world. We can not control all the events of our lives. However, we can control how we respond to these events. Purposefully choose to look at the bright side.
Add More Humor to Your Days
Don’t take things so seriously. Being so serious can put a damper on things and make matters look much worse than it is. Just as we intend to lift our spirits by shifting our perspective, we should also shift our mood as well. And, what better way to do this than with some good ol’ humor?
Keep Your Environment Clean
Keeping a clean environment allows us to think clearly. When the environment is cluttered and disorganized, it’s harder for us to find things. Our environment is usually a direct representation of the environment within our minds and vice versa. When our environment is organized and clear, we think clearly.
Don’t Share Your Dreams and Plans with Everyone
The mind is very powerful. However, it is very sensitive at the same time, susceptible to negative influence. If a person is known to be dismissive and envious, then it is crucial that we not share our plans with them as they will not give us the support we seek. Instead, they may actually present as blockages.
Surround Yourself with Successful People
Having successful people around is a constant reminder of what we seek to become. People should aim to keep good company with individuals who can help give them guidance and resources. In doing this, there’s no peer pressure or negative influence from others.
Finding motivation can feel like a long, arduous process. However, once found, it’s like a spark of pure energy that inspires us to take action. Whether women aspire to accomplish their wildest dreams or succeed in completing their everyday tasks, these tips will help women to get motivated and stay motivated.
by The Lovely Refinement Team | Nov 5, 2021 | Self-Confidence, Self-Improvement
Strong and independent women are a true inspiration to anyone. They don’t just talk about their dreams. They try to make it happen to the best of their abilities. They know what they want and go for it no matter what everybody else says. If you’re ready to chase your dreams, you can do it too!
Finding the spark you need to start working on your ambitions is a great place to start. But once you know what the dream is you want to go after, it takes action. If you’re ready to chase your dreams but aren’t sure what to do, these 9 tips will help.
1) Know Yourself
Getting to know oneself is a vital element of success that many people seem to neglect. Knowing yourself means understanding your passion, talents, and even weaknesses. Many underestimate this knowledge even though it can help out a lot in decision-making. That’s why it should be the first thing to consider.
When you know yourself, you will realize what you’re good at and what you’re not. This can be a big influence when you are about to judge which route is best to take for a higher chance of victory.
Self-knowledge also frees you from the pressure of others’ opinions. When you know what works for you, the point of view of others won’t bother you anymore.
2) Set Your Goals Right
When pursuing our goals, one thing we usually do is visualize the outcome. This is an essential part of the whole procedure. But what most people do is imagine vague concepts. They say they want to get rich or be happier. You might not find these ideas harmful but they don’t actually help you determine the best steps to take.
Furthermore, vague ideas won’t help you tell if you need to make changes in your methods or when you have done enough. Knowing what your exact goals are is an important factor in accomplishing them.
So, what you can do is imagine yourself in the place you wish to be and ask the following questions. What does it look like? What exactly makes it different from where you are now? How will you know when you get there? How will you know when you’re off-track?
The ideal way of goal setting is by using SMART goals. There are numerous variants on what the acronym SMART stands for, but the definition below is its main essence.
- Specific – Your objective must be straightforward and well-defined. Make it as simple as possible by specifying exactly what you want to happen.
- Measurable – Entail specific numbers, dates, and so on in your goals so you can track your progress.
- Attainable – Do not aim for things that are obviously impossible to achieve. On the other hand, resist the temptation to create very easy targets.
- Relevant – Goals should be related to the path you intend to take in your life and career so you can have more focus.
- Time-bound – There should always be a deadline so you can have a sense of urgency and not waste time.
3) Break Them Down
Looking at the bigger picture is great and all, but it may appear intimidating when you start to ask how exactly you’re going to make things happen. Just thinking about it can burn you out and make you lose your will to keep pushing forward. To avoid this negative state of mind, you should take baby steps.
Break big goals down into smaller ones. It can be a way to boost your confidence. You will start to realize that it’s more manageable if you take care of smaller tasks one by one. This also allows you to keep track of your development when you follow your dreams.
Additionally, this is the key to multitasking. You can meet multiple objectives at the same time. With smaller goals, you have enough energy to fulfill several others simultaneously. You can even do this while also working toward reaching other major goals in different areas of your life.
4) Put Your Goals in Writing
When you physically write down a goal, it becomes real and tangible. You will have no excuse for overlooking it. Experts believe that goal success is strongly linked to vividly describing your goals in writing. Our focus is narrowed, and our attention is drawn away from other priorities when we write our goals down.
Your smaller, broken-down goals can be written with set deadlines to give you a clearer image of what needs to be done and when. And when you write, positively frame your goal statement.
Taking time to do this step in a peaceful place will bring many benefits. Take out a journal and write down your action plan for the next month, quarter, year, or decade. This can prevent you from wandering aimlessly toward your dream.
5) Stick With The Plan
Now that you have your agenda laid out, you to need to address it properly. Stick with the plan no matter what. Set reminders to keep yourself on course, and schedule time to review your priorities on a regular basis. This will assist you in accomplishing something every day that will help you be a step closer to your goal.
Sticking with the plan doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t adjust it when the situation requires it. Unless you’ve reached your dream, goal setting will be an ongoing activity. While your long-term target may remain the same, the action plan you set may shift significantly.
When you notice that something isn’t working, you can always replace it with something that will. Just be sure that the changes you make are really necessary and relevant.
6) Don’t Limit Yourself
A successful woman in her own right, Sylvia Plath once said, “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” Most times, what stops us from attaining our hopes and dreams is our own limiting beliefs. You may hold yourself back by thinking that you are not good enough. You doubt your potential and fear failure as a result.
But you should know something, you are more than enough. You are capable of conquering obstacles and accomplishing greatness. Whatever you want to do, everything you’ll need to keep pushing is inside of you.
Fortune favors the bold, so don’t be afraid. It’s true that there’s still a chance of failing. But failure isn’t anything to be terrified of since you can learn from it and move on. Nothing can stop a positive mindset.
7) Be Realistic
Another way of thinking that can save you from peril when you try to chase your dreams is being realistic. As you get into goal setting, you can get easily obsessed. You can get hooked and will go to any length just to achieve your goals. This carries a lot of risks and should be avoided from the very start.
But wait, doesn’t this oppose the previous tip on this list? No, it doesn’t. In fact, they complement each other. It suggests that you shouldn’t do too little or too much. You just have to be balanced. Overkill and insufficiency have the same negative effect when it comes to realizing a dream.
Drive is commendable, but keep in mind that you, like everyone else, require rest and recovery. Making a timetable and setting aside enough time each day or week to focus on your goal is one practical step you can take.
8) Accept Assistance
As the saying goes, two hands are better than one. Being strong and independent doesn’t mean doing everything on your own. Connect with others who you know will be there for you every step of the way. It is crucial to have people who have your back and help you stay motivated as you strive toward your dreams.
This can be done in many ways. For instance, you can get an accountability partner. It can be anyone you’re comfortable with. Explain your plan to them, including the timeline, so that they can assist you in sticking to it.
The kind of help appropriate will vary depending on your objectives. So, you have to be flexible. You can find someone with similar goals, join a group, or hire professional help.
9) Celebrate Every Win
It’s very satisfying when you celebrate your victories and reward yourself. Keeping track of the tiny accomplishments along the way helps you in finding the motivation to keep on moving forward. Feel your spirit being regenerated as you bask in the feelings of satisfaction and pride that your modest triumphs bring you.
This emphasizes once more the importance of thorough planning and prudent goal setting. It gives you a map of every milestone you can conquer in your entire journey.
Acknowledge that you are taking decisive steps toward your aspirations, that you are changing your habits for the betterment of yourself, and that you are taking charge of your life as a whole.
by The Lovely Refinement Team | Oct 1, 2021 | Dealing With Emotions, Self-Improvement
Anxiety and stress are among the most common mental health problems that affect millions of people worldwide. Being a woman makes it even more challenging because there are so many antagonizing issues that we have to deal with. But it’s actually possible to craft a healthy life by finding the best ways to reduce anxiety and stress. It all revolves around your lifestyle and the choices you make. Some of the most effective ways to reduce anxiety and stress include:
1. Change your Diet
You can reduce anxiety without medication by changing your diet. Understand that stress and anxiety are complementary. So, if you are going to effectively manage one, the benefits will spill over and help you deal with the other.
For many women, the only time we tend to worry about what we eat is when we’re thinking about our waistline. However, the benefits of a good diet are beyond the numbers on a scale. Eating healthy meals can be great for your mental health by helping to ease the symptoms of stress and anxiety.
Did you know that there are stress-causing foods? Well, they mainly include edible products that are rich in sugar, artificial sweeteners, excess caffeine, alcohol, and processed carbs. If you want to have good mental health, then you should cut down or eliminate these food varieties from your diet.
To reduce anxiety and stress, you must consider food varieties such as:
- Organ meats: if you can’t completely eliminate meat from your diet, then consider organ choices. This includes kidneys, liver, and heart from animals such as chickens and cows. They are good sources of vitamins and minerals such as folate, riboflavin, and B vitamins. All these are essential for stress control.
- Fatty fish: consider varieties such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and herring. They are rich in omega-3 fats and other nutrients that improve mood, promote a calming effect, and reduce levels of stress.
- Blueberries: They are great for easing stress and anxiety due to their high amounts of flavonoid antioxidants. Blueberries have powerful neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects that help to protect you against depression, stress, or anxiety-related cellular damage.
- Chamomile tea: while you can’t completely eliminate all drinks from your diet, you should only consider making healthier alternatives such as chamomile tea. It consists of a medicinal herb that helps to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Its stress-reducing benefits also make it effective in promoting good sleep patterns.
- Yogurt: it contains beneficial bacteria that have positive effects on the brain. Yogurt has strong anti-inflammatory effects on the body and this makes it effective in treating chronic inflammation related to stress and anxiety.
- Dark chocolate: do you need something sweet to snack on? Well, dark chocolate is a great anxiety and stress reliever. It has been established that dark cocoa has mood-enhancing benefits. So, taking it can help reduce cell death, improve blood flow in the brain, and reduce neuroinflammation.
- Vegetables: consider the likes of beets, kale, broccoli, spinach, and artichokes that have strong antioxidant properties and can help eliminate free radicals from the body.
- Potassium-rich fruits: they are usually great sources of nutrients that help to reverse the harsh side effects of stress. This mainly includes bananas and pumpkin seeds.
2. Practice Relaxation Techniques
Mental healing and wellness usually start from the inside. Stress and anxiety are conditions that we can feel but sometimes it can be impossible to tell where exactly we feel discomfort. It’s about hormones and your feelings getting triggered and overworked. However, the dangers of these issues can be physical.
Besides that, the female body is usually subjected to a lot of extreme hormonal triggers. Dealing with monthly menstrual cycles, changes in environment, a difficult pregnancy, etc., are some of the issues that can lead to hormonal changes with serious side effects coupled with the troubles of our daily lives, all these can result in the development of chronic stress and anxiety
However, there are good relaxation techniques that can help minimize the symptoms of stress and anxiety. They include:
- Deep breathing: This is a powerful relaxation method that simply requires you to focus on your breath. Start by finding a secluded place and then take long, deep, and slow breaths. This is usually known as belly or abdominal breathing. While breathing, ensure that your focus is within you and not other distracting thoughts. Slowly inhale the deep breaths and exhale for 10-15 minutes daily.
- Meditation: this is an important aspect of mindfulness. Find a comfortable space to sit in and just focus on your breathing and focus all your attention on the present moment. Refrain from the need to drift your thoughts back to the past or shift them to the future. Be present, here and now.
- Yoga: it’s a quite versatile relaxation technique. It can be regarded as a meditation technique or a method of exercising. There are many types of yoga, but the ones suited for dealing with stress and anxiety involve those with deep breathing, slow movements, and stretching.
- Socialize: this is also a form of relaxation technique that you might know can have good mental health benefits. Set time aside to spend with family members and friends. Find a confidante who will listen to you without passing judgment. This will provide a natural and effective way to lower your stress levels and promote a calming effect. Generally, connecting with other people usually triggers the body to release a hormone that usually stops your fight-or-flight response.
- Guided imagery: take time and find a quiet place where you can simply conjure those soothing scenes, experiences, and places that you love. You will find that guided imagery can help your mind to relax and shape your focus. It’s worth noting that there are many free apps that you can use to create these calming scenes. Just make sure that the imagery you want to recreate doesn’t trigger a stressful emotional response.
- Biofeedback: take time and learn how to manage your blood pressure, muscle tension, and heart rate when you are stressed or anxious. Generally, biofeedback will give you the information that you need when you are trying to relax. You need to work with a therapist who will place sensors on different parts of your body to determine things such as your muscles’ tone and brainwave patterns.
3. Enroll in a Self-Help Course
Enrolling in a self-help course is one of the best ways to reduce anxiety and stress. Becoming the best version of yourself requires that you pull all strings so that you can grow. As a woman, there is a lot that may be going on internally and externally. However, enrolling in a self-help course can be great for your mental wellness.
Refine Your Life Course Bundle is one of the best programs that can help you refine and redefine yourself. The wellness bundle gives you a step-by-step guide on how you can become more empowered, effectively achieve your personal goals, and reach your highest possible potential.
Refine Your Life Purpose and Wellness Course Bundle features a total of 4 books. They all consist of actionable information that is vital in helping you become an accountable person, go for your goal, and avoid the need for procrastination.
- The Healthy Body + Mind Handbook: You can use this book to develop healthy eating habits. Besides that, it has unique content on how you can map out a customized fitness plan that you can stick to.
- The Ultimate Mental Health Guide: Understand different types of mental health issues and how you can manage them with various resources.
- The Wellness Binder: When trying to reduce anxiety and stress issues, it’s important to document your feelings. Well, this course comes with coloring pages, journal prompts, and daily happiness routines among others.
- Regine Your Life Workbook: Learn what is preventing you from making progress, set your goals, and then go ahead and accomplish them. Relight the spark within you and keep track of your habitual changes. You can only learn about all these and more from this workbook.
This cost-effective bundle allows you to build your confidence and start living a fulfilling life. The best thing is that you can enroll now to get started.
This course works perfectly with other anxiety and stress-reducing techniques. So, you can blend it with exercising, a healthy diet, and different meditation techniques among others.
4. Exercise
A healthy mind requires healthy physical well-being. Exercise isn’t just about the way things look. Implementing a good exercise routine will also do wonders for your mental health.
This doesn’t have to look a certain way. Here are some activities you can do to get moving.
- Dancing
- Yoga
- Jogging
- Swimming
- Bicycling
- Tai chi
- Boxing
- Gardening
- Weightlifting
All these are engaging activities that involve physical and mental components. Exercising usually helps the body to release hormones such as endocannabinoids and endorphins. This helps to reduce inflammatory conditions, block pain receptors, promote relaxation, and improve sleep patterns. Some people usually experience a “high” euphoric feeling after working out.
5. Examine Your Beliefs and Values
There are beliefs that we follow but in a real sense, they are degrading. Beliefs such as “a woman’s place is the kitchen or to be a homemaker” are outdated. Sometimes you might end up feeling stressed while trying to fit your life into these beliefs but knowing very well that you want more for yourself.
Examine your beliefs and determine if they trigger your mental health or suit your current lifestyle. Do these beliefs perfectly reflect you as an individual? If not, set your personal values and follow them. Remember that this is your life, and you need to be confident, find an anchor to believe in, and then follow through with your dreams.
Be assertive with your needs. Make it clear that a “No” means “NO”. Place strong boundaries that everyone should respect without expectations. This way, you will find that more of your energy is focused on building yourself rather than dealing with stress caused by other people who have clearly failed to respect you and meet your expectations. Remember that you shouldn’t tolerate disrespect as this will quickly mess with your self-esteem.
6. Set Your Goals
There is a lot of pressure that comes with being a woman. If you are not careful, then you might succumb to goals and expectations set by other people. You don’t want children in your 20s because you are pursuing your goals? Well, go ahead and do it.
Do you want to get a Ph.D. by the time you are 35? Well, it’s not too late. Simply sit down and set realistic goals as well as expectations.
Taking care of your mental health should be a choice that you make every day. The above strategies are ways to reduce anxiety and stress. Remember that you need to take care of your body for it to take care of you. Eat healthy meals, work out, engage in relaxation techniques, and even enroll in a self-help program. The Refine Your Life Course Bundle will help you learn more about yourself and within no time you will notice significant growth.
