The first, and scariest, step in any self-improvement program is admitting that you’re falling short of being the person you want to be, or of achieving what you want to achieve. Here are some self-help strategies that will give you ideas on what you could try.
Seek out other like-minded individuals. Surrounding yourself with negative people can have a poor influence on your mood and can rub off on your way of thinking.
Make others feel good by offering them compliments. When you make an effort to treat others kindly, it becomes easier to think of yourself in kinder terms.
Write something to pep yourself up. Write down all of your positive traits on a postcard. Keep this card with you, and read through it when you feel your confidence flagging. Better yet, read the list out loud while recording yourself. What’s the point?
You may find that meeting and talking with a spiritual or secular counselor a rewarding experience. Spiritual and secular counselors are licensed, trained and experienced in dealing with a number of different issues. Their job is to listen to you and your concerns and help you gain a new outlook on your situation. By speaking with a professional about your problems, you can lead a much healthier and enjoyable life.
Do you drink too often? Is smoking or anything else harming your body? Your body is sacred, and you have to learn to respect it. Sometimes, eliminating bad habits is what it takes to make your life better. Look at your life, what you are doing that may be harmful, and work on omitting things that need to be removed from your life.
When trying to battle depression, focus on diet and boost your complex carb intake. A lack of complex carbohydrates can lead to a depletion of serotonin. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables along with nuts, legumes and whole grains can boost the amount of these carbohydrates that you take in.
A great self help tip to deal with anxiety is to accompany a friend to the movies. This helps put you into a social situation, but it doesn’t involve socializing until you are uncomfortable. Eventually, it will be second nature to be around a large amount of people.
If you find that you are constantly having difficulty meeting your goals, take a step back to evaluate what’s going on. Look for resources related to your issues and ask your friends about their struggles. It is possible that you may be setting unrealistic expectations, missing an important element, or not devoting enough time or resources to your efforts.
Figure out what is really important to you and focus on those things in your life. By concentrating on those things that you cherish and appreciate, you’re less likely to be pessimistic and to brood over adverse situations that are of little consequence.
Make an honest effort to become more organized. When you are organized you have much more of a feeling of being in control, and this will help you gain self confidence. The stress caused by disorganization will also be relieved. Having everything in its own place instills a calming energy.
Improvement Goals
Self improvement goals that improve your health will improve many other areas of your life. Everyone feels better when they in are healthy. A healthy lifestyle can make you feel wonderful and allow you to save money that would be otherwise spent on medical problems. One of your most important self improvement goals should be to start living a healthier life.
Being dramatic or overreacting will only cause more stress. Acknowledge and manage your stress by carefully analyzing your circumstances. A mistake isn’t the end of the world. Most mistakes can be rectified, and many can be remedied in a way that ends up better than if you hadn’t made a mistake to begin with. Don’t focus on what you lost; focus on what you have.
Try the tips and take note of changes in your thoughts and feelings. Do not be so hard on yourself.