Everybody loses their confidence once in a while and feel like they’re not good enough. However, when feelings of inadequacy become persistent, you may be suffering from low self-esteem.

Self-esteem is the opinion that you have of yourself and even when times are tough it should be a good one. When you feel positive about yourself you feel good about your life. If you are currently suffering from low self-esteem here are some tips to help boost your confidence.

Acknowledge Your Strengths

We all have gifts and talents. This means that we are all good at something. Is there something that you’re good at that you have not done in a while? Maybe it’s time to start gardening, singing, or painting again. Getting involved in what you are good at is a great way to boost your self-esteem quickly.

Use Affirmations

Affirmations are a great way to boost your morale. Look in the mirror on a daily basis and encourage yourself just as you would a friend or a relative. Tell yourself all the opposite of what you are actually thinking. Not only is this a good exercise in discipline but it actually works. Over time you will begin to feel better about yourself.

Stay Positive

The relationships you build are extremely important. They will either drag you down or uplift you. One way to ensure that you stay positive is to remove people from your life who make you feel bad about yourself. It may be because of their actions or the words they say. Whatever it is ensure that you try to build relationships with people who will encourage you and your goals.

Say No

People pleasing too much can damage your self esteem, it is important to set boundaries.There are times when you must say no for your own sanity. Never say yes to something when you really want to say no to it. If you say yes when you really should say no then you will become angry and depressed by having to do something you really don’t want to do.

Challenge Yourself

Push yourself a little but not too much. Challenges make life exciting and conquering them can boost your self-esteem. There’s something about knowing that you have conquered a goal that you may have thought you couldn’t that helps you to feel better about yourself.

 If there is something you want to achieve, set small goals for it, each time you manage to achieve it, give yourself a pat on the shoulder. it’s okay to acknowledge that you have done something that you never thought possible.

Get Help

It can be hard to acknowledge that you may need help. If you do need help there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Getting professional help through counseling therapy  is one way of  putting yourself on the right path to feeling better about yourself. Therapists are trained professionals who will help you to build your self esteem in an atmosphere where you feel nurtured and validated.

Even with vaccines, people are still getting sick from COVID. So many people are now wondering whether there is anything else that they can do to protect themselves. 

It turns out that there is: eat a healthy diet. Right from the outset of the pandemic, it was clear that there was a link between nutrition and the severity of the disease. But now, thanks to further studies, the link is even more airtight. If you want to protect yourself, you have to eat more fruit and vegetables. 

Diet And The Immune System

It turns out that the food that we eat has a profound effect on the way that our immune system functions. Certain nutrients in plants program it to work optimally, and if we don’t get them, we are more susceptible to disease. 

Researchers think that a lack of fruit and veg compounds in most people’s diets is one of the reasons why so many people are getting sick long-term. Their bodies simply don’t have the resources that they need to mount a quick response to the infection, putting them at a disadvantage. 

There’s no single bullet either when it comes to food. It’s not just a question of eating more kale or pineapple. Instead, what seems to matter is the combination of foods that people eat. The greater the variety, the more protection that they have. 

The Effects Of Eating Plant-Based

People who eat plant-based get the majority of their calories from whole plant foods, not animal foods. Data suggest that these individuals – some of whom are vegan – have a 73 percent lower chance of developing moderate or severe COVID. Furthermore, the more plant-based a person’s diet is, the lower their chances of developing severe symptoms. 

Many organizations are now using COVID API tools to track statistics like these. The goal is to figure out what combination of factors will best protect somebody from the disease. For instance, how many portions of fruit and vegetables is optimal? How many minutes of exercise per day should somebody get? How long do they need to sleep to minimize their risk of infection? All these specifics matter when crafting lifestyle advice that can help protect people. 

Types Of Food For COVID

So how exactly should the average person be eating right now? The World Health Organization (WHO) says that most people should be eating a diet rich in legumes (like beans and lentils), nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. It also says that people should be eating plenty of whole grains, like millet and quinoa. In total, people should be getting about a pound of vegetables per day, but the WHO isn’t against people getting more than that. In some cases, they may need extra nutrients to protect themselves against disease. 

There are also a bunch of foods that the WHO recommends that people avoid. Sugar intake should be minimal – preferably less than 12 teaspoons per day. And items like processed meat are strictly off the menu as far as who is concerned. People should try to get omega-3 nutrients for less severe COVID from flax or algae sources. 

Family relationships can be challenging. Living with people all the time and getting on with them is hard work. Sometimes, you just want to run away. However, the way emotionally intelligent people deal with family relationships is different. Here’s what they do to reduce relationship stress: 

Don’t Provide Unsolicited Advice

It’s okay for family members to come to you for advice and for you to give it if you are in a position to do so. But lecturing people about what they should be doing rarely works. Providing unsolicited advice can actually make your relationships worse. People can feel pressured into doing things that they don’t want to do. And any change that comes of it is often short-lived. 

Make Your Actions Count

In family relationships, actions are more important than words. If you struggle with words, just think about things that you can do to help your family. Going on a treatment family therapy program can teach you some of the techniques that you can use to help a family member going through difficulties. 

Admit Your Mistakes

People who can admit their faults, mistakes and errors are a rare breed. But they’re also very welcome in families. When you accept that you did something wrong, you immediately become more humble and display emotional integrity. Not everything you do will be perfect, but that’s okay if you have the right approach to family relationships. 

Find Out What Each Person Needs From The Family

Knowing what each person needs from your family is a great way of improving the atmosphere. Clearly, the needs of grandpa are going to be very different from those of your children. When you learn what each person needs, they feel more valued and respected. 

Give Love Generously 

Be generous when you express love in your family, especially when you deal with children. Whenever you provide emotional reassurance, you make it clear that you will be there for them, no matter what happens. 

Teach Family Members That They Can Choose Their Emotions

The idea that we can choose our emotions feels quite foreign to a lot of people. But when you explore your mind, you find out that it is true. How you focus dictates how you feel. If you can, try telling people in your family that moods are okay. They are just something that they can observe. Family members can choose their focus – positive or negative – and use that to their advantage. 

Listen Carefully

Improving family relationships is possible, but it takes work. Once you get into the right relationship habits, it can feel effortless.

Most articles will tell you that a little bit of stress can be good for your life, since it can help push you forward and improve your conditions. But largely, it’s something that we should hope to avoid. It’s not just that stress can compromise your enjoyment of your day, but that it brings with it a whole host of side effects that can make life positively miserable. These side effects can be both short-term and long-term. In this blog, we’re going to run through just what stress can do for your life.

Heighten Your Irritability

There are usually some warning signs that a person is feeling stressed. When you’re feeling well, the actions of other people won’t bother you too much. You’ll just let them go on with their thing, especially if they’re not doing anything that directly impacts you. But you might be very far from that attitude if you’re feeling stressed since you’ll likely be more irritable. Little things that you ordinarily wouldn’t notice will begin to bother you. 

Dampen Your Happiness

It’s clear that if we’re going to get through life unscathed, then it’s important that we’re having fun and feeling happy. Alas, if you’re stressed, then getting to that stage might be difficult, if not impossible. If you’ve ever been through a super stressful experience, then you’ll know that the idea of having a good time was probably pretty far from your reality. If you’re in a mild stressful moment, then it can be worthwhile forcing yourself to put yourself in fun environments. It’s not about forgetting the position you’re in, and you shouldn’t force yourself to be happy. But you might find that just by being there, you’re able to relax a little and have fun. 

Stress is often co-morbid with depression as well as anxiety disorders. As such, it’s important to make sure that you’re not trying to handle it alone and that you reach out for help when you need it. Finding a psychiatrist near you isn’t going to be the immediate fix you might hope for. However, it can give you the tools to manage your stress levels from day to day while getting to the root of the issue to offer long-term care, too.

Increased Tiredness

Stress can have a profound impact on the state of your body, and especially on your energy levels. You’ll be spending so much of your mental space thinking about what’s on your mind, then you’ll also be putting your body under stress too. And that means that energy can be hard to find. This is damaging because we usually need more energy when we’re stressed since we want to improve or change our circumstances. In that instance, it’s good to find other ways to give your body energy, such as running or taking cold showers (both of which can also reduce stress).

Lowered Immune System

Another way that stress impacts your body is through your immune system. It’s no secret that people that are experiencing stress are more likely to get ill than those who don’t. This is one of the key reasons why meditation can help to bolster your immune system. It’s good to relax! If you find that you’re getting ill frequently, then it’ll be important to look at your lifestyle and work on making it more relaxing. However, if that’s not possible for the time being, then at least make sure you’re boosting your immune system in other ways, such as by taking vitamin C tablets. 

Hearing Problems

Many of us take our senses for granted. We just assume that they’ll always be with us! But of course, that’s not the case. They tend to deteriorate to various degrees as we age. But there are also things that can accelerate the process, such as stress. Stress is one of the more common causes of tinnitus. This is because stress can cause hypertension, which is linked to tinnitus. While there’s no cure for tinnitus, it is possible to reduce the severity of the condition by reducing stress. 

Teeth Clenching

There are plenty of ways to keep your teeth in good condition, including learning how to relax! You’ll be able to influence how tightly your jaw is wound when you’re awake, but things become more difficult when you’re asleep. Teeth clenching and grinding can have a long-lasting impact since they’ll wear down the surface of your tooth. While you’re in the process of reducing the amount of stress in your life, it’s a good idea to invest in a mouthguard. This is a device you can wear while you sleep that helps to protect your teeth.

Disorganized Mind

We all know how much easier it is to get through the many responsibilities of life when we’re able to focus. But when you’re stressed, you might find that it’s much more difficult to focus. The tasks that you need to take care of can become much more difficult. And that’s a problem, on both a short-term and long-term basis. Meditation is very good for improving focus. 

Substance Issues

There’s no avoiding the fact that stress is undesirable. And when we find ourselves in undesirable situations, our mission is to find ways to change our state. Alas, when you’re unable to focus, what you decide to do to change your state might end up doing more damage than you realize. Many people turn to alcohol as a way of coping with stress, but this should be avoided since it will only make the problem worse. Instead, try to overcome the desire to drown your sorrows and invest in healthier habits, such as exercise, yoga, and meditation. When you do those things, you won’t just be giving yourself useful skills that’ll have a long-term impact. You’ll actively be avoiding the thing — alcohol — that would make your experience worse. 

Conclusion 

OK, now we’ve run through all the things that stress can cause. The question is: is there anything that you can do about it? Happily, there is. When you’re in the middle of a stressful period, it’s important to, first, recognize what’s going on, and second, take steps to minimize the sensation. There are any number of things you can do to combat stress. For example, there’s meditation, running, spending a night engaging in self-care (reading, relaxing), and consciously trying to limit the stressful factors. It can feel like stress is just part of your life when it’s there, but there are always things you do to put it behind you! 

Everyone has some form of anxiety after the COVD lockdown. For some it’s major and for others it’s a minor inconvenience to your life. Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety levels are high, with just about everyone becoming increasingly anxious about the post-vaccinated future. What will life look like now those most vulnerable have been vaccinated? Whatever questions you may have, spoken or unspoken, lockdown has been a rough ride for all of us and, by no means, is it over. 

However you managed to pull through, well done. In fact, well done to whoever is reading this right this second because you’ve been through hell and back, but you are sitting here, reading up on how to look after yourself. That’s a double win. Keep going. But, anxiety as we re-enter workplaces is bound to be high. Indeed, anxiety as we re-enter the world in general is bound to be high. Grown into an age of socially anxious, anxiously disordered minds, there must be ways to get through this and learn to survive again. 

Lockdown Anxiety

Over lockdown, even once, you must have thought ‘when will this end?’, ‘is it safe to even go to the supermarket?’, ‘did I wash my hands properly?’. Either way, for people who had never had anxiety before the pandemic, definitely experienced it during. However, those who were already suffering beforehand, trust me, this year has been a tough one. Lockdown was not a safe place. It was safe in terms of a lack of people, therefore a lack of social anxiety bubbling up to the surface, but it left you alone with your thoughts. After the novelty of not having to speak to anyone wore off, loneliness struck. But, not being able to do anything about it only encouraged us to sit in our loneliness further. As time drew on, the fear of going outside and bumping into someone (that you may have known or not known) was a real one. 

Generalized anxiety disorder sufferers- lockdown was not the one for us. No longer having a plethora of external stimuli to work with, your mind went to anyone and everything around you to look for worries. Claustrophobia is the one word that comes to mind when I relive it. 

Keeping structure out of lockdown

As we start to come out of lockdown, and re enter our offices (for help on marketing for your business talk to Joey Armstrong), consider what made you feel safe during. For example, when in lockdown were you at your most peaceful, or happy? Who were you with? Who weren’t you with? Consider all of these environmental stimuli, and recreate it. If you were with a friend, or a partner, or a family member, when you felt your most calm, call them at a fixed time every day, or week. Meet them for a coffee. Did you enjoy those daily walks where you could get out of the house for half an hour and just walk? Keep walking! Keep doing those daily walks. 

There are so many ways in which to safely ease yourself out of lockdown, especially for an anxious mind.