HOW TO USE A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE TO FEEL MORE CONFIDENT
How often do you climb into bed, exhausted after a long day of work, desperate for sleep because you have that presentation tomorrow - only to lie awake ruminating on all the ways you could have spoken up that day? Replaying situations over and over in your mind where you had something valuable, productive and helpful to say, but you kept it to yourself?
How incredible would it be to breeze into work feeling super confident and unapologetically speak up, be authentically yourself?
Having a spiritual practice means you can tap into the woo and speak up without fear. Not sure what a spiritual practice is? Head over here.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret - you don't have to fit into this bland corporate mould, and you don't have to be this version of yourself that doesn't feel real and authentic to progress. When you come back to who you truly are and go on that journey of self discovery, you can be more confident, and feel safe to be seen. No more hiding at the back of the room, or wishing the ground would swallow you up when you have to speak in front of a group of people.
How to get to what feels like a mythical point of being seen and appreciated for who you are? You can start by appreciating yourself. Make time that’s for you and you alone. I know I know, you are busy. Adulting sucks sometimes. But when you want that extra ten minutes in bed instead of meditating, or you’d rather veg out with Netflix than pick up the book that’s been staring at you for weeks, remember your why. Why do you want to feel more confident?
Do you want the confidence to set boundaries, and have an actual work/life balance? Do you want the self-belief that allows you to put your hand up for that promotion over Dave, who you know doesn’t know the role as well as you? Or maybe you just want to shut down your inner critic that makes you feel like crap all day long.
Much as I love affirmations and believe in positive self -talk to a degree, building lasting confidence takes more than that. I want to share some of the ways in which you can work towards coming back to who you truly are, and unapologetically show up as her:
CONNECT TO YOUR HIGHER SELF
The biggie, and possibly the most important step. Your higher self doesn’t have doubts, fears, worries. It’s your true nature - wise and whole. It’s our most authentic state of being, and we all have it. It’s just been buried away under all the stresses of life. Connecting to our higher self gives us perspective, and shows us solutions we weren’t aware of. That connection gives us acceptance, guidance, appreciation, and confidence in who we truly are.
The best way to tap in? Meditate and connect with the present moment. Start small - a couple of minutes a day - and slowly build up. Meditating doesn’t mean you don’t have thoughts, it just helps to make you more aware of them. You can be the observer, and see that inner critic of who she really is - just the part of your brain that’s trying it’s best to protect you from sabre tooth tiger (thanks Karen but I don’t think they are lurking in that team meeting, I’m good).
Another way to tap in is to listen to your intuition. That would be your higher self calling! Start an intuition diary and you’ll see how those nudges always have your best interests in mind. Some easy ways to tap into your intuition are: Going out in nature, using tarot and oracle cards, and doing guided visualisations. Choose a way resonates with you.
DEFINE YOUR VALUES
…and live by them. When was the last time you thought about what your core values are, or wrote them down? Knowing your values helps you understand who you are, and what you believe in. Which will help you feel more confident in your decision making - you’ll know you’re making the right decisions for you when they align with your values. Having a spiritual practice doesn’t have to be all meditation and chanting - the focus is getting to know who you are at a core level, and how you can use that to help others. Knowing your values helps you to know who you are, so incorporate them into your practice and you’ll see the benefits.
How to figure them out? First, find a list of values. A quick Google will bring up many results - find a list that covers some that resonate and print it out. Then, do a quick scan and circle the ones that immediately speak to you. You’ll probably have around 20, but we want to get it down to your 5 core values.
To do this, simply look at each one and ask ‘Does this bring out the best in me?’. If the answer is yes, pop it in your top 5. If you’re still struggling to narrow them down, try picking one for each area of your life: Personal growth, work/career, health, friends and family, home environment…pick your own if none of these resonate and take it from there.
Once you have your top 5, write them down somewhere you can reference them daily or weekly, and use them as your anchor for living a fulfilling, confident life.
USE YOUR CHAKRAS
Each of the seven chakras can help you feel more confident in a different way, so it’s a good idea to tune them. An ideal way to do this is through the practice of Reiki, so track down a practitioner and book regular sessions to clear any blocked chakras. You can also use meditation (there are many chakra guided meditations out there), wear the colour of the chakra you want to tune, and practice yoga.
How does each chakra help confidence?
Root (Red): This chakra will help ground you when it is balanced. You’ll have more resilience and feel confident to handle whatever life throws at you, and find it easier to adapt to change.
Sacral (Orange): Responsible for creativity, pleasure and the things that make you truly happy. To have the Sacral chakra balanced will mean you feel more joy, and be confident to tap into your desires.
Solar Plexus (Yellow): Your control centre! When balanced, the sacral chakra helps you feel more confident in decision making - you won’t be swayed so much by the opinions of others. You know who you are, and no one can tell you otherwise.
Heart (Green): An obvious connection for this one…loving yourself. This chakra can help you feel the love, for yourself and others, and what is a bigger confidence booster than loving who you are, and the skin you’re in? It will also help you navigate a full range of emotions, meaning you can handle what you feel are ‘negative’ emotions with more ease.
Throat (Blue): Communication is key to confidence right? If you throat chakra is balanced, you’ll be able to communicate your feelings and speak up with ease. You’ll be able to use your voice and feel understood when you articulate yourself clearly.
Third eye (Indigo): Your psychic senses, clear sight, and intuition all come from a balanced third eye. It gives you a deeper understanding of yourself and the world around you, and helps you tune in to your intuition so you can shut down your inner critic and listen to your true inner voice instead.
Crown (Violet): Last but not least, a balanced crown chakra will connect you to your higher self, and we all now know how that helps to create confidence!
Remember: Confidence comes from coming back to who you truly are. When you use your spiritual practice to create unshakeable self-belief, you can be more confident in work and no longer accept less than.
Is there a practice you use to help you feel more confident? Comment below and let me know 👇🏻
