Building confidence with self-care
I could NEVER do ( insert adventurous, anxiety-inducing secret dream you have for yourself here). I’m just NOT ( brave, strong, energetic, disciplined, knowledgeable, good, etc.) ENOUGH.
How often do these kinds of lines run through our minds ? And do you ever wonder what the thoughts may have stopped you from experiencing or achieving?
I have.
When I share my story of how I used to feel painfully shy, how I moved to Taiwan , and how dance transformed the way I feel about myself, it’s often hard for my students to believe it 🤨 based on the hair-flippin, hollering, silly face they see in front of them. Shy, unconfident people don’t move across the world and like getting in front of crowds to dance, right?
But most people wouldn’t imagine that I cried almost the entire flight when moving to Taiwan.
Or that when I was younger I assumed I was weak because I hated PE class and used to faint and hyperventilate when I got overheated ( or when the incense came out at Mass 😅).
Or that I experienced debilitating panic attacks in my twenties.
Or that when I started teaching Zumba there were times I ran to the bathroom during the water break because I was sure I’d pass out, throw up, or both.
So, confidence ( and being “fit”) was not something I would say I was just born with.
But it is something I have built and still work towards. Some of it surely has to do with aging and caring less what others think, but much of it has come through action- through doing the things I knew I wanted and doing them even while being scared, unsure, or at times unmotivated . Big things like moving across the world, but especially small things like cooking healthfully for myself or starting to do strength training during the week.
Self-care— discovering your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs and then working to meet them— is an act of building trust in our own abilities slowly but surely, day after day. With each workout we show up for, rest taken when overwhelmed, or mini-milestone we meet, we learn we can rely upon ourselves to keep our own promises. Self-confidence grows as our belief to stay committed to ourselves is reinforced with every repetition.
Looking to grow your confidence on and off the dance floor? Challenge yourself to honor your commitment to taking time for yourself! Whether it’s an hourlong group class where we support one another in-person or a short 30 minute virtual class at home with me, I strive to make it as easy and as fun as possible to get that joyful movement throughout the week. After all, self-care is all about what you want and need— but you don’t have to do it all alone! 💕
Keep moving,
Katie