Everyone has those times in their life that they don’t feel confident, that they can’t do it, and everything around them makes them want to crawl up in a corner and come back out when the chaos is over. Trust me, I’ve been deep in that corner. In this article I’m going to talk about steps I take to overcome that feeling and get myself back to feeling confident and ready to conquer anything!
- Connect With Old Friends Again – Or Make New Ones!
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Reach out to good friends that you have lost ties with and invite them to meet for coffee or go out to watch the sunset! They’ll appreciate the invitation and you can rekindle the friendship you guys used to have! If you’re in a new community, be bold and ask the girl you pair up with in class a bit if she would like to check out a cute coffee shop in town with you or on a hike that you’ve been wanting to go on. Getting out there and having those few friends around to chit-chat and relax with will be refreshing!
- Keep Your Mind and Body Healthy
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The best thing you can do for your well-being is to take care of your body by eating right and exercising. It’s known that working out decreases anxiety, depression, stress, and really gets your blood flowing! You will feel so good about your body and yourself even a week after the gym that you’ll never want to stop going. Especially when you’re anxious about a project deadline or frustrated because last week didn’t go the way you wanted it to go, get that frustration and anxiety out and turn it into good with some squats and deadlifts and you’ll feel better in no time! (P.S. YouTube videos are the best for learning without needing a personal trainer) I can not stress this enough, working out and lifting will work wonders for your mind and body! Having that goal to achieve a heavier weight or learn to do a new excessive will have you running back to the gym in no time! Eating well is crucial also, eat enough before your long school day so you don’t get hangry after your second class. I’m not talking about Doritos and a banana for breakfast, I’m talking about your eggs, turkey bacon or any protein to keep you full, and English muffin in the morning, maybe add some avocado if you’re feeling fancy! This doesn’t have to be expensive either, I know these items will be around $20 and give you a morning meal for a week. A big bowl of oatmeal with a scoop of protein powder and fruit in it is another go-to for me. Give your body the right energy to conquer the day! Don’t forget to wind down with some journaling or yoga on your floor at the end of the day. Make enough time for your well-being, no matter how busy you think your schedule is! Whatever makes you feel happy and healthy, there should never be a reason for not doing that activity.
- Get Involved!
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Put yourself out there and find a group of people that share the same interests as you! Try anything that sounds interesting and see if you have a spark with that activity and if it’s a good fit for you. One weekend when I was bored, I signed up for an aerial yoga class and I will never regret that experience. Swaying around on ribbons hanging from the ceiling and doing yoga poses in mid-air couldn’t be more fun. Everyone in the class was smiling around and having a good time, so surround yourself with people like that! Even if you do sign up for something you end up not clicking with, don’t look at it as a waste of time or money, pat yourself on the back for getting out there and trying something new! Dabble around until you find the right hobby and group of people for you. UH Manoa has a spreadsheet of all organizations and clubs associated with the university, so look through the countless options and see what stands out to you! http://www.manoa.hawaii.edu/studentlife/studentorg/rio.php
- Know That You Can Do It
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I know, I know, this is probably something you’ve heard a million times before, but seriously, you CAN do it! No one has the power to stop you from trying out for the debate team or the power to stop you from getting your confidence back up as high as it can be. Only you can stop yourself from accomplishing anything, so why do that?? Rely on yourself and only yourself to push you to your goals, don’t rely on anyone else or put that power in someone else’s hands. Only you can let incidents, opinions, and your self-confidence defeat you, so don’t defeat yourself! I can go on and on with the cheesy motivation quotes. A little tough-love I’ve received from my mom before was when I called her crying my eyes out, I felt so unhappy and like I didn’t have the confidence to do anything. She said to me, “ok, so this is gonna easily defeat you?” and I said HECK NO, she was right I was letting myself be defeated. Ok, maybe this is a you-had-to-be-there situation but I’ll never forget that realization of stop letting my insecurities and myself get in the way.
- Create a Routine
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Make a schedule you can look forward to. Start with what you like doing to start your day. I know for me, I wake up at 7:00 am every day, stretch in my bed, make my cup of coffee and do some reading or homework to start my day off productively. Piece together your week so that you have something to look forward to every day, and make sure to keep it a variety! Having a schedule will keep you focused and windows of free time you’ve made for yourself will be more valuable.