Are you looking for a quick confidence boost, perhaps before public speaking or taking an exam? Content Creator at Happiful, Kat Nicholls, shares some shortcuts for you

If you need a confidence boost, perhaps before public speaking, taking an exam, or even having a difficult conversation, you've come to the right place. Kat Nicholls, a writer here at Happiful and a former Confidence Coach, is on hand with her five hacks to help you feel confident — quickly. So, where do you begin?

Take some deep breaths

Tip number one is to put your hands on your solar plexus. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths. Feel yourself holding yourself. “This can bring about feelings of inner strength and a sense that you have your own back, and this is essential when it comes to building confidence,” Kat says. You could even pair this with an affirmation, something like “I am safe”.

Think back to a time when you felt confident

Number two is to take a moment to unlock those memories and think back to a time when you felt confident. Again, close your eyes and bring this memory to the front of your mind. Where were you? Who were you with? How were you moving? What were you wearing?

The aim of this is to remind yourself that you do have the capacity to be confident. It's a feeling you have access to whenever you want.

Try a power pose

Kat's third tip is to try a power pose. This comes from a great Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy on the power of body language. Power poses are essentially where you make yourself as big as you can and it can actually help increase confidence in your abilities. Try standing with your arms and legs as wide apart as you can, like a star, or place your hands on your hips.

Power poses also give you space to breathe and iron out any tension in your body. Give this a go for a few minutes when you need a boost and see how you feel.

In this video, Kat talks us through her five hacks for boosting confidence and demonstrates some power poses for you to try.  

Listen to music

Number four is to listen to some uplifting music. Music can be an incredible facilitator of mood, helping turn those nerves we're feeling into excitement. “I've personally put together a confidence playlist, so I put this on whenever I need that boost, and I would advise you to do the same — and bonus points for any songs you can sing along to,” Kat says.

Try talking to yourself in the third person

Finally, tip number five is to talk to yourself in the third person. This is a slightly weird one but go with us here. Because we are often so much better at hyping up and supporting others, this is an easy way to trick our brains into doing this for ourselves by talking to ourselves in the third person. For example, “Come on Kat, you can do this. I believe in you.” Give it a go and see how it feels.

Now, the shortcuts we've shared here are exactly that — shortcuts. They can help us feel a certain way temporarily. But if you're looking to build lasting confidence in yourself, you may find it helpful to work with a professional such as a coach.

Are you ready? You can connect with a coach today on Happiful.

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