Act as if

One of the greatest tricks for gaining confidence is to act as if. By that I mean, acting as if you are already the confident person you wish to be.’ Acting as if’ has been shown in psychological studies to affect brain chemistry and trick the brain into believing you possess the traits you are pretending to have.

It may seem unbelievable, but acting in a certain way activates neural pathways in the brain and the more we act in a certain way, the more these neural pathways are reinforced, thereby turning acting into natural behaviour.

So, when you lack confidence, visualise someone whom you respect and admire. They could be a friend, family member or someone you don’t personally know such as a celebrity. Act as if you are that person and imagine how they would sit, stand and respond to others. Take on this persona and act your way towards confidence. Behaviour can be just as important as the content of our thoughts and the two mutually influence each other. Our thoughts influence our behaviour but our behaviour also causes shifts in our thinking.

Act as if and you will soon find that this way of behaving becomes a part of who you are naturally. It may take repetition and you will experience unease initially and feel out of your comfort zone but it will be worth it in the long run. I have tried this and it works!

Mandy X

Author: Mandy Kloppers

Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.