Instant Confidence – Bonus Tip

In my last blog [3 Ways to Give Yourself Instant Confidence] I gave you 3 powerful ways for give yourself instant confidence.  Lots of people have found them very useful, but a lady asked me what she could do if she suddenly lost confidence.  The specific situation she mentioned was standing up to do her 60 seconds at a busy networking event.  As her turn came closer she would start to panic and almost pass out with fear.  So, here’s a bonus tip.  When you’re feeling that you’re wobbling take slow, deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth for a count of 4, 5 or 6 (whatever you can manage).  If that would feel weird, or too conspicuous, take a sip of water, pick up a pen, stretch your legs out under the table or change position.  In other words, do something completely normal.  Doing something normal, especially deep-breathing, calms the amygdala (that part of the brain responsible for fear and emotion) and tells it everything’s OK, you’re not in any immediate danger.  In fact, finding a way to take control is a great way of boosting confidence, but I’ll tell you more about that in a future blog.