Guest Post by Suzy Reading – 3 Confidence Boosting Tools
Guest Post by Suzy Reading – 3 Confidence Boosting ToolsI love that Woman Ready is all about empowerment and boosting confidence.
Confidence to me means standing firm in my ground, feeling a connection with the earth and knowing that I have a right to be here. It is about living my truth and acting in accordance with my values. I build my confidence using yoga to channel the power of my body and breath and mantra to harness to power of my mind.
Here are three of my favourite confidence boosting tools:
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Rituals To Start The Day With Zest And Resolve:
As I wake I focus my mind on either one thing in my day that I am happily anticipating or something for which I feel grateful. This helps me rise with a feeling of energy, anchored in perspective. I like to use scent that channels how I want to feel –something uplifting, energising, focusing or calming.
I love Neom Organics room sprays, facial mists, hand balms and their eau-de-parfum is an unbeatable mood booster. As I stand tall and take a few deep breaths to savour my chosen scent, I also use a mantra that prepares me for what’s to come in my day. Something like ‘I am ready’ or ‘I soften into this moment’.
Adopting a tall, upright posture is an instant way to feel confident and I check in with how I’m holding my body throughout my day. I love that none of these things take long and they form a potent ritual that sets me up for the day. I can return to them too as my day unfolds, making space for these micro moments of nourishment. If there are challenges in my day, I use a warrior pose to tap into a sense of strength.
Image credit – the book and illustrator Abigail Read.
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Soothing The Nervous System To Beat Stress Hormones:
When we are relaxed and calm, we are more resourceful and resilient in response to life’s challenges. This is my go to tip when overwhelm hits. Think of Homer Simpson saying d’oh! He instantly brings his hand to his forehead. When we experience shock, this is the common place hard-wired response – to either bring the back of your hand to your brow, or if you are sitting, you rest your head in your hands.
It is instantly soothing for your parasympathetic nervous system and helps mediate the stress response. This is the first thing I turn to when I need comfort. It may be in the form of earthing my brow if I am seated at a table, if I’m on the go, I will make two gentle fists and press them into my forehead as if I were massaging imaginary horns or I surrender in a yoga child’s pose. Try it! Feel how it connects you with a feeling or peace and ease. Physically it softens your eyes and jaw and tension melts away.
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Reflecting On Women Who Inspire Me:
I love Amy Cuddy for her work on authenticity, confidence and the way we hold our bodies, Brene Brown for her ideas on vulnerability and belonging, Sharon Saltzburg for her contribution on compassion, Barbara Fredickson for her concept of love and connection, Sonja Lyubomirsky for empowering me with the toolkit of positive psychology and my local go to is Mandy Lehto for real, everyday hacks to being the person I aspire to be. I turn to podcasts, TED talks, books and quotes to keep me feeling uplifted and motivated.
Bio
Suzy is a mother of two, a Chartered Psychologist, Yoga Teacher, and Health Coach. She specialises in self-care, helping people manage their stress, emotions, and energetic bank balance.
It was her life experience of motherhood colliding with the terminal illness of her father that sparked her passion for self-care which she now teaches to her clients, young and old, to cope during periods of stress, loss and change and to boost their resilience in the face of future challenges.
Suzy is a contributing editor for Psychologies Magazine and the Psychology Expert for well-being brand Neom Organics. She figure-skated her way through her childhood, growing up on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, and now makes her home in hills of Hertfordshire, UK. Her first book ‘The Self-Care Revolution’ published by Aster, is out now.
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