Many who struggle through life controlling problems, take a big blow to their self esteem. You may be trying to overcome an addiction of some kind. Society has a league table of how bad this addiction is over that addiction, for example, that doing drugs is worse than drinking alcohol. If you are the addicted person, it doesn’t matter if it’s an eating disorder or sex addiction, it will affect your self esteem just the same, and your family will also be affected by what you are going through and how you feel about yourself.

You may be living through bereavement, battling through a broken relationship or struggling through financial hardship. Your self esteem will take a blow.

We all need to feel good about ourselves. To know that we are loved for who we are, and to know that we are unique individuals. One way to rebuild your self esteem is through developing that creative talent within you.

How to develop your creative side

You may think that you are not a creative person because you have never expressed that side of your personality. When you look around at the people you know, you can recognise a creative side to their nature. They may be good at poetry or painting. Maybe they are able to create beautiful flower displays or make something with wood.

It may surprise you to know that you have a creative side. You may have lost your self confidence when you tried something and failed many years ago. There was no one at the time to encourage you to try again or maybe they even put you down. So you let that small burning light go out.

Well the spark is still there. It may need some fanning into life again, but it can be done. So how can you start to bring your creative side back to life?

Here are 10 ideas to light your flame:-

1. Do something this week that you have never done before. This could mean something small like cooking or trying a new dish, or it could be a big thing like booking that trip to China. Then make a list of other things that you would like to do for the first time.

2. Check out your local evening classes or community college. Do they have a course that really stirs something in you? Learn Spanish? Write poetry? Paint? Ask that friend of yours how they became so good at what they do?

3. Go to the theatre to see a play, or read a different kind of book to what you normally read. Read some inspirational books.

4. Write a letter to a friend (hand write with pen and ink!)

5. Get that camera out of the drawer and take some photos of your town.

6. Keep a journal. You will be surprised how significant some of the seemingly small daily events are. Or carry a small notebook around with you and jot down those great ideas as you get them.

7. Join a group. It could be the local history society, the amateur gardening group, or the photographic society (to get some even better tips on taking pictures around your town). A group can help to spark off new ideas in you and get those creative juices flowing.

8. Do the good things that you always do – in a different way. Find a good and productive alternative to some of the things that you need to change.

9. Start to draw or even doodle. You will be surprised at what comes out.

10. If you get stuck. See a Life-Coach! They will know how to ask the challenging questions and help you set the goals you need to achieve your heart’s desire. They can help you to light your fire! If you cannot afford a coach, find someone you can trust and share your dreams with them.

Releasing your creativity is about changing the way you think. You are unique, so try your own individual approach to everything you do. You don’t need to be alone in doing this. Today is a new day, like a blank sheet, or a fresh canvas. Create your day!

Developing Your Creativity is a post from: Recovery Coaching

A Healthy Self Image is a post from: Recovery Coaching

1. Self-confidence is found in people who have a healthy self-esteem. They know their personal worth, and act accordingly. A good way to improve your personal worth is to make a list of your accomplishments every day. You will be surprised to know how many positive acts you perform every day in life, but which you don’t notice. Once you start looking at this list, your self-confidence will grow.

2. Be clear about your goals. If need be, break your goals into smaller, more manageable tasks. Give yourself a pat on the back every time you achieve even a small goal. It will boost you’re a self-confidence, and help you achieve bigger goals.

3. Find a coach/mentor who can help you reach your goal. Most people, who have done well in life, have a mentor who has travelled the same road on which they are traveling today. Meet your coach/mentor regularly, and seek his advice and support as a routine. You will find that you are learning something valuable every day.

4. Spend time with people who are positive and supportive, who like and respect you. Give them the same support and respect that they give you. Avoid people who are negative and critical of you. Such people erode your self-confidence. They make you look at your negative self, and not your positive self. Nothing can be more damaging to your self confidence.

5. Pay attention to how you look. Take pleasure in wearing good clothes and being well groomed. It makes you feel good. People too look at you differently. You can soon be a centre of attraction if you radiate a positive, smart look. It can very easily make the difference between success and failure.

6. Don’t be afraid of failures. Take them in your stride and move on. Say to yourself that you will succeed the next time. Never make the mistake of allowing your failures to overwhelm you. They will force you into a shell, and destroy your self-confidence. Learn from your mistakes, and be realistic about your abilities. People who try to over-reach often fall down. You should not allow that to happen in the name of self-confidence.

7. Keep yourself physically fit by exercising regularly and eat the right foods. A fit and healthy person is much more active and achieves more in his career. Physical fitness, like self-confidence, glows on your face.

8. Have a wide range of interests, and take an active interest in what’s going on in the world. Meet and talk to a lot of people. Don’t focus all your attention only on your work and on your problems. Divert your attention to new interests, and new tasks. This will keep your mind happily occupied, and boost your self-confidence.

9. Take part in activities that you are good at. You may have excelled at things in the past and then given them up due to lack of time. Return to those activities again and see your self-confidence grow.

10. Pick up a new hobby or craft that interests you. It will keep you occupied. It will also increase your self-confidence as you become more skilled in it.

Try to practice these tips as faithfully as you can, and see the difference in your life.

Ten Tips To Increase Your Self-Confidence is a post from: Recovery Coaching