!#8# Retaining & Regaining Your Self-Confidence in the Midst of Workplace Bullying

!±8± Retaining & Regaining Your Self-Confidence in the Midst of Workplace Bullying

Are you feeling "down" when you want to feel "up?"

Often, people who are targets of workplace bullying express feelings of anxiety and pessimism. This is natural. Once a bully has a target in his sites, he will take every opportunity to increase the level of pain he inflicts. Sooner or later, the target begins to doubt herself.

The workplace bully has then won a victory-he has eroded his target's self-confidence.

What is self-confidence? It is the sense that you are knowledgeable and competent, that you possess the skills and ability to take on a task. Self-confidence allows you to take on new challenges. Without it, you stay rooted in old habits.

How do you retain or regain your self-confidence when you're experiencing bullying in the workplace?

Like all worthwhile endeavors, it takes some work on your part. You're facing an expert in the area of bullying at work. So you have to match that expertise in your knowledge and faith in yourself.

Here are some things you can do to boost your self-confidence:

· Make a list of all the worthwhile activities you've ever accomplished. Go back to the science project you completed in the 6th grade, the experience of transferring to a new school when you were in high school, the achievement of completing a difficult assignment in school or at work and a successful encounter with a parent, child, sibling or friend. It's going to be a long list! Spend some time on it. The list will help you see yourself as a success in all the many areas of your life. It will help you see beyond the present unpleasant moment, by showing you your strengths and reminding you of your worth.

· Use your strengths to build yourself a 10-second commercial. For example, say to yourself, "I'm smart, good with numbers and I get along well with most people." Look at yourself in the mirror and repeat the commercial to yourself whenever you feel your self-confidence ebb.

· Give to others who appreciate you. Volunteer at an organization or play softball with your nephew. The opposite of depression is expression. If bad things are happening, give to others to keep things moving in a positive direction.

· Exercise regularly, and eat right. There really is a connection between your body and mind. You don't have to be a champion body-builder to benefit from exercise. Start with a fifteen-minute walk before and/or after work. Eat some protein with breakfast. Ease up on your carbohydrates. All these easy-to-do acts will give you strength. A simple formula: Strength (both inner and outer) equals greater self-confidence!

Most people of good character throughout history have been the targets of verbal, and often physical, abuse. Think about Abraham Lincoln. Martin Luther King, Jr. Mahatma Gandhi. Nelson Mandela. Being human, at one time or another, they all must have questioned who they were and what they were doing. But for the most part, they believed in themselves. Whether or not you're an historic hero, you can learn to do the same. In fact, you're worth it!