Hypnosis to build Confidence and Self Esteem
Hypnosis and hypnotherapy are fantastic tools to help you with confidence and self esteem. We can stop your anxiety, shyness and self consciousness with hypnotherapy. T
But there are also other things you can do to help build your self esteem and confidence. These are set out underneath.
Good self esteem allows you to be confident about your views. It helps you stand up for yourself and what you believe in, and protects you against life’s disappointments. If you have good self esteem you’ll be resilient. So you’ll see things problems clearly. You’ll be confident of your own abilities and decision making.
Good self esteem helps you cope with life’s ups and downs
High self-esteem helps you cope with life’s disappointments. If you’ve got good self esteem you’re more resilient. This means you’ll see things in proportion. You’ll feel secure about your decisions and abilities. And you ‘ll accept things sometimes go wrong – but that it doesn’t mean it’s your fault. You’ll be less likely to worry about what others think of you.
Confident people accept that life has problems. So when you’re confident and difficulties do arise, you’re not thrown off guard. Having confidence and good self esteem means that you are less likely to give in to pressure, or to try and fit in with others, or be like them. Because you know who YOU are, and what YOU stand for. You view yourself in a positive light and rely on your own judgements and opinions. Not other people’s.
Low self esteem leads to stress and anxiety
If you struggle with low self esteem you ‘re probably more sensitive to criticism. You might even avoid certain social or work situations. You may find it difficult to be say what you think, or what you want. This is because you worry about what others will think of you if you do. Maybe you fear rejection, or being laughed at.
Obviously no-one likes to be rejected. But if you have good self esteem it’s much easier for you to accept that it’s impossible to please everyone. Because NO-ONE is liked by everyone, all of the time.
Try this – ask a group of 4 or 5 friends of the same sex which celebrity they think is attractive. Or which comedian makes them laugh. I can guarantee that they won’t agree! And even if they did, you can be sure that if you asked just two more people, at least one of them would have a different opiion!
Or think of a popular person you know – there will always be somebody who will say “Well, personally, I don’t like him”. Think about the music you love. You wouldn’t have to go very far to find someone else who really can’t stand it. Because everyone is different, we all have different likes and dislikes.
If someone doesn’t get on with you, or doesn’t agree with you, it’s due to their own individual choice. It’s not because there is a problem with you. If you have good self esteem you’ll know this. But if you don’t, you may worry that it is your fault.
You might think you’re not good enough, and that you need to change. And you believe there’s something wrong with what you’ve said or done.
Build self esteem by looking at the positives
You’re far more used to paying attention to the negative aspects of your life and yourself. Sadly this is human nature – everyone does it.
It’s because there’s a sense, somehow, that the negative stuff needs your attention. So you feel you need to fix it, to improve things. The stuff you’re already good at is easier to ignore!
Think of when you have an appraisal at work. It’s great except you’re told you’re a bit disorganized. It’s the bit about being disorganized which sticks in your mind. This is because its only that bit which you need to do something about.
If someone tells you your outfit looks good, except the shoes, it’s the shoes that you think about, because they’re what you need to do something about.
You forget about generally being good at your job, or that your clothes look great – because these things are already OK. They don’t need attention. You take for granted those things which are already OK, and pay more attention to those which aren’t quite right.
So it’s a very useful exercise to really think about all the positive things which are there, but which you don’t often think about. Not thinking about your positive attributes is really just a bad habit!
It’s not a helpful or useful habit, so it’s good to really make yourself aware of your good qualities and what makes you special. Soon you’ll get to the point where you are aware of the positives without having to consciously think about them. They’ll become second nature to you.
The exercises will really help you to build self esteem – to recognise what it is about you which makes you the person you are; what makes you tick. They’ll help you remember what’s special about you. And then your self esteem can’t help but increase.
Self Esteem Exercises
So, how do you get better self esteem?
If it’s something you’re struggling with, it can be difficult to think of the things listed underneath. But this is exactly why you need to work on it!
Try to make a list of:
Your strengths. What stands out about you? It could be your friendliness, persistence, spirituality, kindness, your sense of fun, or your sympathetic nature. Maybe you’re patient, practical, or have a great sense of humour. Or maybe it’s your intellectual abilities, kindness or helpfulness. Try and think of at least five, but write down as many as you can.
What you admire about yourself. These could be your ability to enjoy relationships. It might be certain aspects of your appearance. Or it could be your creativity, humour, or unselfishness. Or your practical skills, or the way you make everyone feel comfortable. It’s whatever YOU think the best things about you are.
Your achievements. This could be something like overcoming a difficulty or an illness, passing an exam, or getting a new job. It might be building better relationships with friends or at workk. Or it could be getting fit, learning a new skill, or coping with a difficult situation or person. List at least five;
Twenty things which you know how to do, well, but which you had to learn. The chances are that you now take these abilities for granted. You’re now skilled at them, and do them frequently Sp they seem easy to you; but this wasn’t always the case. Don’t take your accomplishments for granted!
Think of when you learnt to drive, ride a bike, or cook something. Or maybe, how to programme the DVD recorder or download a pdf. Or perhaps when you made a new friend – someone you always wanted to get to know. Or maybe you passed an exam, or challenged yourself to speak in public.
These things may seem like nothing now, but you worked towards them and achieved them, and shouldn’t forget this.
Ways you can reward yourself. Ideally these shouldn’t be about buying anything. Think of walking by the sea, or listening to music you love. Maybe it’s lying in the sun, or on the sofa watchng an old film. Maybe it’s watching the rain, playing with your pets, or looking at nature. Or perhaps finding an old friend and getting in touch, or just spending fifteen minutes all to yourself, quiety, doing nothing.
Things which make you laugh !
Things you do which help others
Things which make you feel good about yourself. This might be chatting on the phone, exercising, or listening to your favourite music. It could be having a bath, doing your hair, eating healthily, dancing around (like no-one is watching of course).
Or it could getting round to that de-cluttering you’ve been meaning to do for the last six months. Or dealing with paperwork – or anything else – that you’ve been putting off.
List your favourite activities. Make time to do these.
Finally, write down what it is about you that makes you the individual you are. What is it that makes special and different to everyone else.
You can re-write the lists you make whenever you want, and should keep adding to them, at any time, when more things occur to you. You should re-read them frequently in order for the positive thoughts to establish themselves. Soon you’ll no longer have to really think about remembering them. They’ll just be there, embedded in your subconscious.
If you like, you can even keep a journal with these ideas in.
Another exercise is to ask those closest to you – your partner, your closest friends, family, or your colleagues – what they like about you. Don’t argue with what they say! Just accept it. Write it down. Re-read it frequently.
You can also list the compliments that you’ve been given over the years. We take criticism at face value (“it must mean I am doing something wrong”). But we assume others compliment us just to make us feel better, or because they are being kind. Remind yourself of the compliments you’ve received. You will see a pattern in them. It’s not coincidence – it’s because they’re true.
When you find yourself being self-critical, remind yourself of all the positive things on the list.
Hypnotherapy in Manchester
Pam Newbury and a team of fully registered, qualified and insured hypnotherapists practice 6 days a week at this south Manchester hypnotherapy clinic. They have over 40 years of experience, using hypnosis, hypnotherapy, relaxation techniques and teaching self hypnosis to help self esteem and boost confidence. anxiety and OCD. If you want to find a hypnotherapist in south Manchester to help stress at work, stress and anxiety, phobia, panic attacks, emotional problems such as jealousy or insecurity, or low self esteem, then go to any of the independent websites which list and give reviews of hypnotherapists (for example www.freeindex.co.uk – Google also displays reviews) and you will see the excellent results which Pam and her team have achieved. If you would like further information about hypnosis in Manchester, for insomnia, to build confidence, depression, for help with weight loss, to break bad habits, help tinnitus or for any other problem, please call 07779 575 816 for a free, no obligation, confidential discussion.
Hypnosis and hypnotherapy in Didsbury, Manchester – convenient for Chorlton, Gatley, Cheadle, Stockport and all areas of south and central Manchester.