Hey Guys- First post for me, so I hope everyone takes some good info out of this post.
First though, a disclaimer! I, am, at this point definately at the AFC level. :nervous: I started reading the articles on sosuave earlier this month, after having a summer with several 'almosts', but not being able to complete the deal. I decided that I was sick of only being able to go so far before things blew up in my face, so here I am!
Anyways though, I would like to share my experience with some of the guys who are on the low end of the confidence scale. I know you've heard this probably from a thousand different posts and other places, but Preparation is key, especially if you don't have very high self-esteem or confidence levels.
Lets start with food- especially breakfast. One of the best things you can do for yourself to elevate your natural mood levels is to eat a full, healthy breakfast. When you wake up, your body starts to produce the neurotransmitter Serotonin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin).
Serotonin helps you regulate your mood, and increases your confidence level (it fights stress, so you get less nervous when you're not in your comfort zone). If you don't eat a full breakfast, your body doesn't have a fresh source of the amino acids necessary to create Serotonin, and you have the morning slump, which can also affect your mood for the whole day.
Here's what I eat for breakfast: A large fried egg (the brown organic kind), A big bowl of oatmeal or non-sugary cereal, a multi-vitamin supplement, and either a glass of fruit juice or a power smoothie. For those of you who think "I don't have the time!", none of this stuff takes very much time to prepare... while the egg is cooking I put the oatmeal in the microwave and prepare my smoothie. (The smoothie is a mix of a breakfast drink like Carnation Instant-Breakfast, a cup of milk, and one to two cups of frozen fruits, blended until smoothie-texture). This whole process takes less than ten minutes! This combination is a nicely balanced breakfast, and that's very important for your mood and confidence levels. The egg and instant-breakfast packet provide the protein directly needed to make serotonin, the oatmeal is a complex-carbohydrate which is very important to having energy throughout the day (this is very important too... cut out your highly sweetened cereals for breakfast!), and the multivitamin and fruits provide vitamins and minerals that aid in the metabolism of proteins (turning them into amino acids that can be used by the body).
I won't go into a whole nutrition guide here, but I do want to mention one more thing- eat a lot of nuts (like peanuts and walnuts, jackass.) When I'm working, I usually have my first break about two hours into the day- the perfect time for a little boost. I bring a bag of 3 or 4 servings of mixed nuts and munch down half of them while I have my smoke, and a glass of water. This provides enough of a boost to get you through until lunchtime, and then I do the same for my afternoon break.
Again, for those of us with low natural confidence levels, preparation is key. Eating healthy provides a natural boost, but the other half is minimizing the things you have to worry about. If you take care of yourself by keeping yourself well groomed, and keeping your house clean, you've eliminated some of the arguments your brain can come up with to keep you from talking to that hot chick!
Again I want to say that I'm still at the AFC level, but these few steps help me get out of my comfort zone! By being prepared, I've eliminated a lot of the negatives I previously perceived, and I've found that CAing is much easier for me now. Being able to break out of and extend my comfort zone has had the reciprocal effect of giving me more confidence in many situations, so it's a win-win situation.
Always remember: If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
six
First though, a disclaimer! I, am, at this point definately at the AFC level. :nervous: I started reading the articles on sosuave earlier this month, after having a summer with several 'almosts', but not being able to complete the deal. I decided that I was sick of only being able to go so far before things blew up in my face, so here I am!
Anyways though, I would like to share my experience with some of the guys who are on the low end of the confidence scale. I know you've heard this probably from a thousand different posts and other places, but Preparation is key, especially if you don't have very high self-esteem or confidence levels.
Lets start with food- especially breakfast. One of the best things you can do for yourself to elevate your natural mood levels is to eat a full, healthy breakfast. When you wake up, your body starts to produce the neurotransmitter Serotonin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin).
Serotonin helps you regulate your mood, and increases your confidence level (it fights stress, so you get less nervous when you're not in your comfort zone). If you don't eat a full breakfast, your body doesn't have a fresh source of the amino acids necessary to create Serotonin, and you have the morning slump, which can also affect your mood for the whole day.
Here's what I eat for breakfast: A large fried egg (the brown organic kind), A big bowl of oatmeal or non-sugary cereal, a multi-vitamin supplement, and either a glass of fruit juice or a power smoothie. For those of you who think "I don't have the time!", none of this stuff takes very much time to prepare... while the egg is cooking I put the oatmeal in the microwave and prepare my smoothie. (The smoothie is a mix of a breakfast drink like Carnation Instant-Breakfast, a cup of milk, and one to two cups of frozen fruits, blended until smoothie-texture). This whole process takes less than ten minutes! This combination is a nicely balanced breakfast, and that's very important for your mood and confidence levels. The egg and instant-breakfast packet provide the protein directly needed to make serotonin, the oatmeal is a complex-carbohydrate which is very important to having energy throughout the day (this is very important too... cut out your highly sweetened cereals for breakfast!), and the multivitamin and fruits provide vitamins and minerals that aid in the metabolism of proteins (turning them into amino acids that can be used by the body).
I won't go into a whole nutrition guide here, but I do want to mention one more thing- eat a lot of nuts (like peanuts and walnuts, jackass.) When I'm working, I usually have my first break about two hours into the day- the perfect time for a little boost. I bring a bag of 3 or 4 servings of mixed nuts and munch down half of them while I have my smoke, and a glass of water. This provides enough of a boost to get you through until lunchtime, and then I do the same for my afternoon break.
Again, for those of us with low natural confidence levels, preparation is key. Eating healthy provides a natural boost, but the other half is minimizing the things you have to worry about. If you take care of yourself by keeping yourself well groomed, and keeping your house clean, you've eliminated some of the arguments your brain can come up with to keep you from talking to that hot chick!
Again I want to say that I'm still at the AFC level, but these few steps help me get out of my comfort zone! By being prepared, I've eliminated a lot of the negatives I previously perceived, and I've found that CAing is much easier for me now. Being able to break out of and extend my comfort zone has had the reciprocal effect of giving me more confidence in many situations, so it's a win-win situation.
Always remember: If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
six