Essentials magazine asked Alice for her tips on gaining more confidence in our body shape and highlighting our assets without the need for strict diets and exercise regimes. Her full list of tips are below but check out tip number seven in the attachment (page 69) for the one they featured in the August edition of Essentials.
- Mirror Body Scan: Whenever we look in the mirror, we hone in on all the bits we hate - our cellulite, our blemishes, our muffin tops. Each day, take ten minutes to scan your body head to toe and compliment yourself out-loud on the parts you do like, or at least don’t mind as much. It can be as minor as you like - you might like the colour of your eyes, the shape of your top lip, the softness of your skin. The trick is to focus on the parts you like or don’t mind as much in order to balance out the critical voice we so often tend to apply when we look at ourselves in the mirror. The way we see ourselves depends on what we choose to focus on so it’s important that we make the effort to see the good in ourselves if we want to feel more confident.
- Mindset Mantra: No one is perfect. It’s an impossible ambition to be perfect because no one is. The definition of perfect varies from one person to the next - we all like different things and that goes for what we’re attracted to too. Learn to appreciate that we all have amazing attributes, mixed in with a few flaws, and that’s what makes us individuals. The media has made us believe, through airbrushing and Photoshop, that it’s possible to be perfect. Constantly comparing yourself to those in the media will only end in you thinking you come off worse. Remember that for everything you see, they will have flaws too - and that’s absolutely fine because we’re all human. The more embracing and accepting we can be of our flaws, the more confident we will be. Trust others to see the good in you too.
- Show off your assets: If you look hard enough with kindness and compassion, there will be at least one thing you like about yourself - perhaps it’s the length of your legs, your haircut, the shape of your arms, or your complexion. Focus on this part of you and invest in highlighting it more - maybe through some flattering trousers or skirt, a new hair product, a sleeveless top, or a new piece of make-up that highlights your skin. Invest in this area, knowing you’re doing it to show off what you love about yourself. The more you focus on your assets, rather than hiding your flaws, the more positive and confident your sense of self will be.
- Meditation: The app ‘Headspace’ is amazing for using 10-minute Mindfulness exercises to quieten the negative thoughts that can often impact how we see ourselves on a daily basis.
Alice coaches those who want to change career but don’t know what they want to do instead. She offers Career Coaching designed to help graduates, early to mid-level career-changers, and parents returning to work gain a clear vision of what career is right for them, and how to achieve it. She is also an accredited Coach Supervisor, and host of The Career Change Diaries podcast.
