3 Ways to Feel More Courageous Today
Do you sometimes want to hide out from the world until a problem passes?
Me, too.
And sometimes that approach works.
But that’s not usually the case.
We have to take the initiative and take a stand for our own well-being.
Like the time I needed to end my first marriage.
I couldn’t avoid the truth. It wasn’t fair to him or me.
What I needed was a little extra burst of courage to start the conversation.
What I wish I’d known then is that there are things we can do to feel more courageous.
Here are 3 things you can do to boost your courage and get through a hard day.
Tackle an exercise challenge.
I still remember the day 15 years ago when I ran up Carter’s Mountain. It’s an exhilarating and steep vertical climb that I never expected to make it up.
Getting to the top was a metaphor for being able to do hard things.
Exercise gives you an opportunity to redefine who you are. Testing your limits on the yoga mat or running up a mountain, shows that you can do more than you imagine. You can expand your idea of what’s possible.
Research shows that taking risks and tackling challenges when you have an element of control over what’s occurring, like exercise, makes you braver and more resilient when you encounter new situations in the future.
Start the day by tackling a physical challenge that you think you can’t do.
Set a personal speed or distance record when you’re out running, stick with a hard yoga pose or push yourself to hold a plank longer than you’ve ever done before.
Take a cold shower.
Taking a cold shower or dunking your face in a bowl of icy water calms your nervous system in as little as 5 minutes.
Just like when you take on an exercise challenge, dunking in cold water gets you to conquer a physical challenge that your mind balks at.
And there’s an actual physiological shift that occurs as your body copes with the startle from the cold.
Your parasympathetic nervous system gets a jump start, reducing your heart rate, calming your breathing, easing digestion and soothing your fight-or-flight response.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to join the local polar bear club or anything that extreme.
I start with a warm shower and then add cold in at the end, working to extend my period of cold for longer and longer.
Breath of fire.
Your solar plexus is the spot in your gut where you’ll notice physical symptoms of anxiety.
It’s just below your sternum and several fingers above your belly button.
When I’m anxious, I feel a tightness like there’s a brick lodged there.
But it’s possible to loosen the hold if you can tolerate doing breathing exercises (not everyone can).
Breath of fire is a breathing exercise that calms anxiety.
I do it before walking into a job interview, a public speaking engagement or if I’m nervous before a doctor’s appointment.
Breath of fire is a quick, shallow inhale and exhale out of the nose for two minutes. You can feel your belly button and abs pulling in and out quickly.
Watch this video about how to do breath of fire. It’s not recommended if you have vertigo, are pregnant or have cardiac issues.
When I do it, I feel more able to face what’s coming up in my day.
You get a say in how courageous you feel.
When you’re facing a big day and tackling a problem you’d rather avoid, give yourself an edge.
Exercise or do a cold challenge and use the breath of fire right before.
And come out feeling like the hero of your own life.