Sing Away Sadness, Anxiety and Worry.  Huh?  You have got to be kidding?  Come on stick with me here. This really will work, at least for 3 minutes at a time.  What do you have to lose?

Climb every Mountain.. The Hills are alive with the Sound of Music…

Can you see Julie Andrews on the Mountain side raising her arms and her voice as she encouraged the Von Trapp family to keep going in the face of adversity? She encouraged them and herself with music and movemehnt.

When we are going through hard times, depression, anxiety, worries or feel that our lives are out of control, we don’t want to sing, we want to go bed and crawl under the covers.

But studies and personal experience has shown that just the mere act of making a decision and moving forward in some small way causes serotonin in your brain to release. This means that you start to feel and act happier.

Dance Wildly and Sing Loudly

Turn out your radio to a good station. (That does not mean a talk show or the news- then you really will be depressed).  Each song lasts about three minutes.  Make a decision to be happy for the next three minutes and while the song is playing sing along as loud or louder than the singer.

It really doesn’t matter how well you can sing or even if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket!  The very act of expressing yourself with music, song and deep breaths will lift your spirit.

Think of Julie Andrews lifting the corners of her apron as she danced and sang.

Now you do it. Come on. Dance around like a fool and sing at the top of your lungs. Don’t you feel lighter letting some of those emotions float out of your body and into the universe?

Are You Smiling?

See it worked.

You can’t hold a sad thought and smile at the same time. It is physically impossible to smile and have negative thoughts in your mind.

Doesn’t it feel good to feel good for even a few minutes?  If you can feel happier for three minutes every hour or even every day, wouldn’t it be worth it to sing away that sadness, anxiety and worry?  I am going to keep doing it.  Won’t you sing with me?

I’m smiling with you, not at you.

I am also inviting you to share other tips and ideas on building self confidence and overcoming anxiety by going to http://www.EncourageSelfConfidence.com You will want to claim the free eBook and recording. You will feel like they were created just for you.  And they were.

For many people, the mere idea of social situations and conversations through them into anxiety. Just the thoughts of beginning a conversation with a stranger, or co-worker, can bring out latent inferior feelings and lack of confidence.

I have gathered 5 tips to help you feel more confident when connecting with other people. Try to incorporate them in a situation that feels comfortable for you, and soon you will see yourself having confidence in conversations with more and varied people.

1. Smile. Did you know that you cannot physically smile and still think negative thoughts?  Try it.  You don’t have to grin like a cat,  or freeze  a smile on your face,but do turn the corners of your lips up and look approachable.
2. Approach someone standing or setting alone. Instead of focusing on your own feelings of anxiety, you can make a polite comment (May I join you?) introduce yourself (I am Judy H. Wright from Montana)
3. Ask an open ended question that requires more than just a yes or no answer (tell me about where you grew up or what do you enjoy doing in your spare time) Asking questions is a great way of saying “I am interested in you. I want to get to know you.”
4. Listen to the answers and talk about what the other person is interested in.  During a conversation, you will get lots of clues about what the other person thinks is important. If it is someone that you don’t know, take a cue from what they are wearing. ask them about a ring or bracelet they are wearing, did they make it, was it a gift or maybe even does the stone has a significant meaning for them?
5. Make sure your body languages is open and approachable instead of closed, defensive and off putting.  Verbal communication is sharing of information and people only remember or respond to about 20%. Body language, tone of voice and facial expression are much more important and account for 80% of understanding.  Non verbal language is the communication of relationships.

Listening carefully, asking good questions, making eye contact and smiling are all necessary to start and continue conversations.  Don’t worry if occasionally there is a silence, just relax and another subject will come up naturally.

You may not always be at ease in social situations, but the more you practice and try, the more confident you will be in your ability to carry on conversations with anyone.

So smile and ask me some questions.

In friendship and gratitude,

Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, family relationship author and keynote speaker

PS:  be sure to check out http://www.encourageselfconfidence.com for a more detailed look at building self confidence.