Many people would like to be more self-confident. More confident in their appearance, more independent in their thinking, mentally stronger, less shy – in short: they would like to have more self-confidence.
In psychology, self-confidence has two meanings: The awareness of one’s existence. And: the certainty of one’s self-worth. But how can self-confidence be strengthened? There are some ways and tips for it. I will reveal them to you here in this article about developing confident body language.
Confident body language
It is not only important what you say, but also how you act because insecurity is mainly reflected in body language.
Do not make yourself small before others. Avoid nervous, not confident gestures, such as running your hair or chewing your upper lip while speaking. Do not hide your face behind your hands.
The special thing about it is that not only will you appear more self-confident, you will also feel that way (technical term: biofeedback). It will give you a feeling of inner security, which will be further enhanced as your environment reacts to your self-confident appearance.
What is biofeedback?
Our body speaks – even if we are not even aware of it. It sends us important signals without interruption, but many of them are missing.
So-called biofeedback is intended to help us receive feedback about unconscious processes in our own body to adapt and optimise our behaviour, thought patterns and working methods.
Biofeedback can be used as a therapy for various symptoms or illnesses, but you can also use it specifically to better understand your physical reactions in everyday life and to be able to respond accordingly. I explain exactly how biofeedback works and what you can do to benefit from it…
External circumstances, the situation in which you find yourself and also your thoughts and attitudes influence your physical reactions. You cannot notice this at first, because it happens unconsciously. You will not notice whether your breathing has accelerated slightly, for example.
The biofeedback method is designed to make exactly these changes visible so that you know when your body reacts and how – and so that you can learn to intervene consciously and control the reactions.
How does body language influences mood?
Your body language can influence whether you remember positive or negative things and are therefore in a good or bad mood. This is also a form of biofeedback.
Scientists have shown that confident body posture, the upright posture – head up, chest out – leads to more self-confidence. Also, energy levels and even performance are positively influenced when persons do not crouch and bend over, but go for a walk upright and stretched out.
Before you dismiss all of this as bitchy hocus-pocus, you should try it out for yourself. The next time you’re in a bad mood, just stretch for a few minutes and force yourself to stand upright and walk, put your shoulders back and straighten your back. And then see if and how your mood brightens up.
How to use biofeedback for yourself?
Here’s how to develop body language to show your self-confidence.
1. Get to know your biofeedback
The first and most important step is to get to know exactly how your body reacts in the most diverse situations. When do you get into stress? How does this manifest itself physically? Which situations cause frustration or anger? Which people are involved? How quickly do you react and how strong are the effects? The better you know your biofeedback, the better the information you can draw from it.
2. Practice influencing
If you know when your body reacts and how you can begin to influence these reactions in a targeted manner. If stress comes up in you, you should develop methods to calm down again, to normalise your pulse and breathing rate and thus prevent stress from increasing further. Relaxation exercises are a good starting point. If a person is annoying and frustrating you, you should also find ways to stop the negative emotions.
3. Give yourself enough time
You should not expect to be able to use biofeedback perfectly the first time. It takes some time and a lot of practice to recognize, understand and influence the otherwise unconscious signals and changes in the body. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work out in the beginning. The more often you work on your biofeedback, the better you will become at it.
4. Expand the possibilities
Practice makes perfect – and if you feel that you have good control over your biofeedback, there are other options to take advantage of it. Instead of reacting only to negative situations, for example, you can increase your performance and concentration by consciously and specifically controlling your physical reactions. This can help you achieve great things and contribute to success.
Acting confident is good, but it’s not enough. Instead of pretending, become more confident. Self-esteem doesn’t fall from the sky, but you can do something every day to develop it little by little. If you need any support in building your self-confidence and self-esteem, contact me your wellness coach through the contact form or email.