What is confidence and why do we need it?

Confidence essentially means someone who is self-assured who feels or shows self-reliance .Low levels of self-confidence can be very restrictive to a person's day-to-day life. Everybody could do with more confidence and self-esteem, be it your social or work life.

If you feel more is required of you than you are able to give when faced with a challenge, you are likely to feel less in control, more anxious, more helpless and more stressed. Being fired, failing an exam or being rejected by someone tends to dent confidence because in all these situations you're at the mercy of someone else - you feel powerless. It's not unusual to feel confident in some areas of your life but less confident in others. This might be:

• In your personal relationships - romantic or otherwise.
• At work - talking with your boss or adapting to a new job.
• When you're with your family or when you're encountering new people.

For example:

• A successful business person may find it difficult to relate confidently to a partner in a close relationship.
• A skilled football player may lack confidence at the prospect of becoming coach.
• An actor who will quite happily perform on stage in front of an audience may become tongue-tied when faced with a stranger in a bar or at a party.
• And an adult who feels perfectly confident with their friends may well find it difficult to stop their parents treating them like a child.

People often find that they need help in gaining an increased level of self-confidence with respect to:

Pre-test nerves Exam pressures Meeting a partner Job interviews Presentations Public Speaking	Driving test nerves One-off stress situations Low self-esteem Stage fright Overcoming shyness	Social Phobia / Social Anxiety Fear of rejection Lack of confidence Commitment Phobia Fear of driving

How can hypnotherapy help me to gain confidence?

Even people who appear self-confident may feel uncertain, apprehensive or shy. Hypnotherapy will help you to believe in yourself, have certainty and participate fully in your life. Learn to trust yourself and others and be able to interact with ease. Become the person you always wanted to be and explore areas you never dared to venture. Hypnotherapy addresses the underlining cause of low self confidence, thereby tackling the root of the problem head on.

Visualising the successful completion of your goals will increase your confidence and self-belief as well as clarity and focus. Visualisation is the technique of using the power of the mind-specifically the imagination-to change your emotional state, to achieve more with less effort and to maximise performance. It has been used effectively by top athletes to consistently surpass expectations.