Fake It ’Til You Become It
We’ve all heard “fake it ‘til you make it,” but the key idea here is to fake it until you become it. Here are some ways you can instantly adjust your attitude and gain confidence.
Flash a smile
Saying “cheese” has the power to instantly boost your mood, as well as everyone’s around you. Smiles are not only contagious, but studies are showing that they’re more than just a physical facial expression. According to sources in this article, turning that frown upside down can relieve stress, boost your immunity and make you impervious to depression. (Bonus: swipe on an invigorating lip balm containing peppermint oil to increase the mood elevating effects of showing those pearly whites.)
Dress the part
We feel you; you just threw that on for a quick run to the grocery store. But, when you’ve been wearing your comfy pants and a “mom bun” for more than a couple of days in a row, the lack of effort to get ready could affect your state of mind. Think about how you feel after you take a shower, do your hair, put on some makeup and slip into something a little more, well, extra. It makes you feel extra! You’re not hiding under your college softball team hat and husband’s favorite football team sweatshirt from 1994, you’ve got on your warpaint and you’re ready to face the world. A study has even shown that “professional dress” makes you think more creatively. So get into costume and see how it can change your mind and helps you gain confidence!
Put on some tunes
Think about it. Have you ever been on the dancefloor cutting a rug and been sad, unhappy, grumpy, mad, or generally negative at the same time? Perhaps for a moment (if for some reason you were reluctant to let your inner JLo out), but once you allow the music to take over and freely move your body, it’s pretty hard not feel some sense of joy or mood elevation. For this one, trust us. Shut the door to your office or take a moment in your bedroom alone, put on your all-time favorite song and dance like noone is watching. Become your best Britney Spears and embrace the Footloose within. The happy dance is real people, you just have to do it!
Move it
Speaking of shaking it, if dancing isn’t your thing, then just move in some way, shape or form to elevate your heart rate. That’s right, we’re talking about intentionally increasing your pulse past sedentary and into the action zone. Exercise has been shown to increase your brain volume, which is a good thing for your emotional state! In particular, it improves the hippocampus’ resiliency, which in turn leads to better mental health in general. Exercise also stimulates all the feel good chemicals and receptors we naturally produce, leading to sensations of wellbeing beyond physical fitness. Doing something as simple as a minute or two of jumping jacks, bodyweight squats or push ups may be enough to give your mood a nudge in the right direction. Even better, commit to a scheduled exercise sesh to reap the benefits on a regular basis. If you can’t workout before or after work, don’t forget about corporate fitness classes conveniently offered at many businesses onsite during the workday.
Give and receive a hug
Sometimes, we just need a hug. So, if you’re not on the receiving end be the giver because the beauty of a hug is that the giver and receiver reap all the warm fuzzy feels a good embrace can provide. Click here for 10 reasons why we need at least eight hugs a day.
Do an act of kindness
When you’re singularly focused on yourself and your own misery, it can be tough to see beyond your own nose. A quick fix can be to perform a random act of kindness for someone else to shift the focus. Not only will this pull your attention away from whatever is ailing you, but you may not know how something small, like leaving positive feedback for a customer service agent or buying a co-worker a coffee could turn around whatever is not going right in their life. Kindness, like a hug, pays mutual dividends to both parties involved.
So don’t fake it, become it! And now that you’re back to your positive, energetic self, don’t forget to check out all the great corporate wellness offering Goomi Group can bring to your place of business. A yoga class, bootcamp or Lunch and Learn may be just what your employees need to gain confidence and stay merry and bright all year long. Learn more at GoomiGroup.com.
