It’s been a crazy year and for some of us working from home, being out of the workplace on furlough, or being scared of redundancy – our confidence may have taken a bruising or maybe even a bashing!
You may be finding your confidence has increased in some areas over the last twelve months too, and that’s also brilliant!
Here is my B.O.O.S.T. acronym to help BOOST your confidence:
- BE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR OWN SKIN
- ORIGINALITY IS BEST / DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF
- OWN YOUR BODY LANGUAGE
- SILENCE THE INNER CRITIC
- THINK LIKE YOUR INNER MENTOR
Tips for Boosting Your Confidence Using the “BOOST” Acronym
B for “Be comfortable in your skin”
“To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
Coming to grips with who you are, not just how you look on the outside is a brilliant way to boost your confidence.
O for “Originality is best”
Comparing yourself with others can lead to low-self confidence and depression, feelings of envy, as well as compromising our ability to trust others.
O for “Own your body language”
We can boost our confidence by owning our use of body language. Here’s how:
- Fake it till you make it – act confident even if you aren’t feeling it.
- Keep an upright posture, but lean forward a bit.
- Make regular eye contact.
- Maintain a neutral or positive facial expression.
- Don’t cross your arms or legs.
- Practice in front of a mirror or with a friend or colleague.
S for “Silence the inner critic”
The inner critic will tell you that you are not good enough, that you are stupid, useless, and hopeless. The inner critic will be there to witness your failures and remind you of them at any given opportunity. If you could imagine what your inner critic looks like, what image springs to mind? Once you have an image of your inner critic, you can start to detach yourself from them.
T for “Think like your inner mentor”
What would you say to the 30 years younger version of yourself about the issues you are facing today? What is your biggest piece of advice? If you could prevent yourself now from making any kind of mistakes, what would you say? When your inner critic pipes up in your mind, you can employ and take note of what your inner mentor might say instead.
Final Thoughts
Confidence is a muscle like any other that needs strengthening. We can build this muscle quicker by taking steps outside of our comfort zone. Without taking a step into something, we don’t strengthen that muscle. So remember this BOOST acronym as you work towards boosting and building your confidence over the coming weeks.
If you found this article helpful, you might find our other articles on confidence-building and self-esteem to be useful too!
- Low Self-Esteem Resource Page
- Top 20 Songs to Help You Find Your Brave
- Building Confidence in Our Children: 4 Simple Strategies to Try at Home
About the Author: Lily-Jo
Lily-Jo is a qualified counsellor, counselling supervisor, and senior coach at Unstoppable Life Coaching. She is also the founder of mental health organisation, The Lily-Jo Project, which specialises in online digital wellbeing resources for children, teens and adults of all ages.
Catch her podcast here. Book a one to one session here. Or, stay connected by following her on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
