- [Narrator] Hey, Psych2goers.
Have you ever entered a room full of unfamiliar faces
and frozen up, or felt a sudden urge to leave?
For some people, confidence,
which is when you feel self-assured,
and know that you can face any uncertainty,
doesn't come easily.
So with that said,
here are six ways to appear instantly more confident.
Number one, face your fears head-on.
Do you stop yourself from taking part in a new experience
because you feel scared?
Feeling afraid of something dangerous
is your mind's way of protecting you from harm.
But your brain can also delude you
into feeling fearful over harmless things, too,
like public speaking.
Allowing fear to overcome you
stops you from fully realizing your dreams.
Confidence doesn't grow from inaction,
but from being able to make a move, despite the fear.
Number two, embrace failure.
Are you hard on yourself when you make a mistake?
Failure is the stepping stone to success.
No one ever becomes a master at something
before becoming a beginner,
and being new at something entails failing at something
once, twice, even a hundred times.
By accepting failure,
you'll learn what works and what doesn't,
giving you more confidence in the decisions you make.
Don't allow failure to stop you from trying.
Number three, speak with clarity.
Do you speak quietly or maybe too fast?
The way you speak is one way that can make or break
how you look in front of others.
By bumbling, muttering, or trailing off,
listeners may not buy into your words,
which could lead to doubt
about what you're trying to convey.
Take the time to say your words slowly and clearly.
Practice articulating your words,
and maybe even listen to an audio recording of yourself
to get a feel for how you speak.
Number four, mind your body language.
Are you mindful of how you present yourself
in front of others?
Your body language plays a big role
in how you project confidence, from the way you stand,
to the position of your hands.
Are your arms crossed? You may come across as disinterested.
Is your foot facing away from the speaker?
Some may think
that you wanna leave the conversation right away.
Instead, you could perhaps follow some positive,
approachable, and self-assured behaviors
such as maintaining appropriate eye contact
and mirroring the other person's body language naturally.
Number five, question your doubt.
Have you ever thought you weren't good enough?
Doubt is one way of protecting yourself
from the pain of failure, but it also leads to inaction.
Doubt can come in the form of limiting beliefs
like I'm not good enough, or I keep messing up.
Notice those feelings
and question why they came up when they arise.
It may be easy to look at the bad side,
but by focusing on positive outcomes,
you can trick your mind into believing
that doing that scary thing may be achievable after all.
And number six, take a deep breath.
During a tense moment,
you may activate your fight-flight-or-freeze response.
This can cause you to unknowingly hold your breath
or speed it up.
When you realize your breathing has changed,
do your best to calm down, notice your breath.
Start by inhaling deeply, then move it to your stomach
as your diaphragm expands.
Then exhale out.
If you're alone, you can try breathing exercises
to boost your overall mood, too,
which can help clear your thoughts
and bring them back to the present moment.
So have you learned new ways to become more confident?
Do you have any suggestions that haven't been covered?
Feel free to leave them in the comments below.
Please note the references and studies used in this video
are added in the description below.
Also remember to like, subscribe, and share this video
with those who might benefit from it.
Thanks so much for watching. Until next time.