Gaining confidence in life after a cardiac event. Having confidence is another mindset that is important during recovery after a heart-related health issue.
I tell you about how gaining confidence with life after a cardiac event helps you get out of your own way of your rehabilitation.
That you can rid yourself of doubt. You can grow your self-belief. Have the confidence to step (at first, then leap) right outside of your comfort zone.
Find out why you should embrace your superstitions and why belief in luck helps.
To hear more click the player below or listen on your favourite app: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, TuneIn+Alexa or many more.
Episode takeaways
- What it means to have confidence after a cardiac event
- How it feels to have confidence
- My best friend Dot and my big girl pants
- Embracing your superstitions
- Create your own confidence
- What thoughts might stop you using the own today activity and what you can do to change them
Free resources
- Download my FREE Cheat Sheet – Finding and feeling lucky. It will explain in more detail and give you a path to follow
- Join me on Facebook in the My Heart & Mind Community
If you prefer a read, here’s the transcript
Gaining confidence in life after a cardiac event
As I struggled with my return back to everyday life, I found I had a huge loss of confidence. It wasn’t just my self-confidence and my self-esteem; it was my confidence in my abilities and with others. I am not sure where one starts and one stops, I think confidence in my inner and outer worlds blend without any borders and are linked as one. I had lost confidence in life after my cardiac event.
Taking the brakes off your life
This means gaining confidence in life after a cardiac event. By getting out of your own way you can rid yourself of doubt. You can grow your self-belief. Have the confidence to step (at first, then leap) right outside of your comfort zone.
Gaining confidence in life after a cardiac event
This is easy you should have full confidence in our medical practitioners. You should have belief in the services they offer. You need to have confidence in life after a cardiac event when you first leave the hospital. It can be difficult at first but we should have faith that should we need help they will be there. That said it is also very important for you to listen to your body. Feel confident that you can tell the medical teams what your body is telling you.
Belief in oneself, one’s body and one’s powers or abilities. These can be shaken very easily. This is where the work is if, like me, you had a heart attack but didn’t realise for a few days before seeking medical advice. It is hard to trust yourself. You may lose trust in your own body as it has let you down. Not only do you experience the physical trauma of the event, no matter what it was. It can often rock our belief in our self-confidence; self-reliance and the world outside us.
Part of your rehabilitation is to be certain that you are looking after yourself. To be certain that you can live to your full potential, given this may be limited due to our cardiac health. Certain that you can feel safe, be happy and embrace the life you live.
Belief about being lucky
I completely lost my confidence and wouldn’t leave my house at first. The thought of being anywhere other than at home, my Doctors or the Hospital caused me to feel panic. My friends and family wanted to take me out but I refused.
My best friend Dot, came visiting one day, she had offered to take me out to lunch so many times before but I had said no. I think she had had enough of me so booked us lunch in a restaurant literally a stone through from my GP surgery. Okay, so this was a stroke of luck. But it was the first small step towards gaining my confidence. I put my big girl pants on – said ‘just do it’ to myself’ took a deep breath and felt the fear and did it anyway. Needless to say, once I was at lunch, I began to relax and enjoyed a change of scenery and the company of my dearest friend.
It’s a journey, not a destination
Confidence was key to getting my life back. By gaining confidence in life after a cardiac event you will be able to push right outside your comfort zone. At first, I was scared and felt lost. I have even walked on hot coals since it was very life-affirming.
It doesn’t matter what it is that alters your world and your future. It’s having confidence in all areas that can make a real difference to having confidence, especially after a cardiac event. Having confidence allows you to see the world as a happier place. Enabling you to take action towards your dreams, ambition and goals. This is an important thing to remember when building confidence. It is a journey and not a destination.
With confidence, you have more happiness and enjoyment. It can give you the opportunity to be confident in trying new things. It improves your resilience and capabilities giving you freedom from fear and anxiety.
Emotional rehabilitation
My mission is to help you with emotional rehabilitation. To give you practical tools, tips and tricks that you can easily use in your life that make a real difference to the way you feel. I want you to feel good now.
When you have confidence, you have more peace of mind with less stress. You will gain higher self-esteem (inner world) and social (outer world) confidence. And who wouldn’t want more energy and motivation to move you to great success and achieve your life goals?
I spoke about my big girl pants earlier; it was a metaphor but in my imagination I figuratively did it. How I handled it may not work for you. If you’re not feeling confident about something you’ve got to do then go ahead and use a lucky charm. Wear carry or do stuff that makes you feel confident.
So why not try embracing your superstitions?
The process ~ Feeling the luck factor
It may be something that you had with you when something really good happened. Perhaps it could be something that you just like that makes you feel good when touching or wearing it. How about something that has a traditional lucky charm on it such a dice, 4 leaf clover or 777?
My lucky bead dog, made for me by a magician.
There is research that says that having lucky tokens can lead to improved performance. This, in turn, boosts your self-confidence.
1. It could be an item of clothing, you could wear your lucky socks, jumper or underwear?
2. A piece of jewellery, do you have a favourite bracelet or watch?
3. Wearing a particular perfume, aftershave or cologne.
4. An item like a specific gemstone or stones you found on a beach or on a walk.
5. Enhancing your confidence isn’t just linked to physical objects, how about performing a ritual. Like rocking out to your favourite uplifting song beforehand. I do this before doing something scary as it raises my energy too.
6. If you don’t already have something that you ‘believe’ makes you more confident, and assured of luck or success then make something.
Your challenge
We will chat about beliefs in later episodes but for now, I want you to put aside any disbelief and just give it a go.
Make or find yourself an item that you can use for when you need just that little edge of confidence. Go and find your magic. Your ‘thing’.
Once you’ve identified your lucky charm/symbol/emblem. Use it whenever you need a little lift in confidence. When faced with a situation, task or activity and you’re feeling less than confident. Make sure you have your lucky charm or have used it or completed your ritual.
To help you find ‘your thing’ I have curated a cheat sheet of lots of worldwide good luck charms.
Action
✨ FREE TO JOIN ✨
My Heart & Mind, Emotional Cardiac Rehab Community
Don’t keep it to yourself, let me know how you get on. Share with us what brings you the feeling of being lucky? Why not post a picture of your lucky charm?
What thoughts could get in your way?
💜 Superstitious mumbo-jumbo!
Not convinced eh. Well as I said we will talk more about beliefs in another episode. Sometimes the things I share won’t float everybody’s boat so it’s okay to not try it out. Although I will say, what have you go to lose or gain by playing this game?
💜 I don’t have a lucky anything!
Then go find something that you like that makes you feel happy. Decide that it is going to be your charm. It could be something that you already have or something that you create. It’s all about believing that the item, activity, chant or song is lucky for you. For ideas download Cheat Sheet 011 – Feeling Lucky
Free download
