Guest Post: Tips for Boosting Confidence While Entering the Post-Lockdown World
Right now, vaccination rates are going up and many areas are loosening COVID-19 restrictions. Although this is the moment we’ve all been waiting for since early 2020, it’s far from a simple victory. If you’re anxious at the thought of reentering the world, you’re far from alone. Indeed, post-lockdown worries are a perfectly normal reaction to the experience we’ve all had over the last year and a half.
For many, social anxieties are part of the mix of emotions leading to this stress. If you’ve been locked down and working from home all the time, odds are it’s been a while since you regularly interacted with people outside of your household. Justin Bennett of HealthyFit.info has created this guide to help you figure out tools you can use to boost your confidence and get back out there. Let’s get started:
Revamp Your Budget
The pandemic had a huge impact on financial health for most of us. Many people lost their jobs or worked fewer hours. Moreover, prices have gone up on common goods and having groceries, meals, and other goods delivered to your home comes with a premium as well. Altogether, it’s no wonder so many people have found their budgets stretching a little thin.
That’s why now is the perfect time to do some work revamping your budget. If you don’t already have some kind of budgeting technique, start using one right away. Apps, money envelopes, pencil, and paper - anything is fine, so long as you actually use it.
Map out your expenses and compare them to your income. If you need more wiggle room, look into ways to boost income or lower expenses. For example, you can pick up a side hustle, or look into refinancing your home to lower your monthly payments. Commit to spending limits and reward yourself with financial stability.
Recommit to Your Career
As we said above, the pandemic put many peoples’ careers on hold. The job market has been competitive, and opportunities for advancement slim as businesses struggle to maintain profitability. However, as things open back up, now’s your chance to focus on ways to build the career you’ve been dreaming of.
There are several ways you can do this. If you like your current path, you can speak to your supervisor about what you’d need to do to earn a promotion. Looking for a career change? Consider enrolling in an online program and earning a new degree. This could even be your moment to strike out on your own and create your own business. Do some goal mapping to get a sense of what you want out of your career and how you can achieve it.
Pursue Full-Body Health
Finally, take some time to check in with your body and see if there’s anything you can do to get healthier right now. There’s no getting around it - being stuck at home for a year and a half is bad for you. Odds are your exercise routine, diet, and mental health self-care have all gone off the rails. There’s no better time than now to get back into the swing of things and give yourself the care you need to thrive.
Regular exercise and mindful eating are two simple, effective ways to get these goals back on track. Try to work out for at least 30 minutes each day to give your body the movement it needs to thrive. Alternate between high-intensity days and gentler exercises to give your body time to rest and heal.
Practice mindful eating once a day to improve your relationship with food and reduce emotional vulnerability. If you’re new to mindful eating, check out this guide to help get started. Remember, all mindfulness is challenging at the start: It will get easier (and more satisfying) with time and repetition.
These are just a few techniques you can use to improve your confidence as you get back out into the world after COVID-19. Above all, be gentle with yourself. We’ve all gone through some serious stress and trauma over the last year and a half - it’s okay to feel a little weird right now.