3 Ways to Instantly Calm Nerves and Promote Confidence at Work  

Have you ever been in a situation where your confidence just plummeted right when you needed it the most? Nerves are often high before significant career moments like entering a salary negotiation, giving a public speech or appearing before an interview. At times like these, it can be a disaster if we start losing our confidence and hop onto an anxious and negative train of thoughts.

If I were to start writing about the number of times I have witnessed this happen with people, I could fill a book. (But it would be a very depressing and non-inspiring book!)  Instead, let me tell you how to get back your confidence instantly when you most need it.

Read Through your List of Achievements 
“You are really powerful, provided you know how powerful you are.”  Yogi Bhajan. This quote is so true in the current context. We are truly as powerful as we think and know. After all, what’s the use of having the best superpowers and best of strengths if we are not aware of them? So whenever you start feeling that your confidence barometer is dropping, write down a list of accomplishments, feedback from friends and mentors, and positive thoughts on a sheet of paper. Then, stand in front of a mirror and here’s what you should do:

• • • Read your list of accomplishments from the last six months, as loudly as possible.  And feel your confidence level increase with each one.
    • Read aloud testimonials, kind feedback, or recommendations shared by your colleagues, managers, mentors or clients. And let their support fuel your confidence.
    • If you are preparing for a speech, look at videos/pictures from your previous successful events and practice over and over again in front of the mirror, keeping in mind improvements from your last speech.

A timely reminder of your accomplishments and feedback from family and friends is a wonderful way to keep your confidence levels high all the time. Going through these will make you realize that you have been doing pretty well in the past – and that you can repeat the same success in the future.

Strike a Pose
“Fake it, till you become it” – so said social psychologist and Harvard professor Amy Cuddy, who published some very enlightening research about our body language. Her experiments revealed that our postures have the ability to maneuver our emotions and summon extra courage in a crisis hour. In her popular TED Talk, she mentioned that when we adopt one of the “Power Poses” for two minutes, it reduces cortisol levels (i.e. stress-generating hormones) and increases testosterone (i.e. the power hormone), making us feel more dynamic and forceful.

So the next time before you have to enter an interview room or go onstage for a speech, head to the restroom, place yourself in front of a mirror, and stand in any of the power poses for two minutes. It will definitely make you feel more self-assured. I have tried it myself.  If nothing else, looking at yourself in a superwoman or superman position will make you smile!

Talk to Your Biggest Fans
“Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and the thinkers —  but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself.” Edmund Lee, author. A few minutes of pep-talk are sometimes what our hearts and minds need. It puts us in positive mode, and then often, we can take it from there.

So in the quest to build your confidence, remember that affirmations from your support network have a big role to play. When in doubt, talk to your biggest fans – those who believe that you can make it no matter what.  These are the people who have seen you rise and fall, and then rise again, and who will jog your memories about your “glory moments” when you can’t think of any. They will also tell you that you have the strength within you to overcome your down moments, and be able to remind you that a phase of low-confidence is what it is – just a phase.

At best, these tools will put us back in our positive and motivated spirit. At worst, they will prevent us from crucifying ourselves with worry and self-doubt. Like most things in life, your confidence will get better with practice and time. Feeling upbeat and undaunted can be learned and honed. Whether you are using the above or other techniques,” ultimately remember, your confidence is going to come from within you.  Believe in this, and you will see a difference.