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Nicole

5 Ways To Save When Renting Your Next Apartment

Please note, this post is sponsored by Diamond Links. Thank you.

It’s official, 2020 is almost over. But before the holiday season, other important goals must be met. Including moving to your next apartment, and giving your new space an intense clean. Personally, I love the idea of cleaning up many facets of my life each Spring season. And not just the proverbial sprucing up of the interior of my home but the location of my home too!

Fall is arguably the best season when it comes to the new rentals this season. And I should know. As all of my best leasing opportunities have always occurred during the Fall of the year. 

So if you too have the wanderlust for a new local, here are 5 ways to maximize your chances of moving into your new home:

gray steel 3-door refrigerator near modular kitchen

1. Be decisive

With so much economic upheaval the nation over, apartment space is at a premium. Making this a landlord’s market, for sure. But just because it’s a seller’s market doesn’t mean renters are seeking to wait exasperatingly long periods of time to entertain applicant selection this season. 

It’s also a buyers market. Which is why many homeowners are preferring to rent and not sell properties. Making them more likely to offer amenities, utility inclusion, application fee waiving, and even impromptu showings. As for cleaning, schedule disruption, and child and pet care arrangements that need to be made to accommodate potential renters.

According to ApartSEO, renters can save money by looking for new advertisements on social media networks including Facebook Marketplace. Where agents can be directly contacted, potential buyers profiles can be combed through, and, on occasion, rental fees can be negotiated.

Making it essential to be properly prepared to rent your next space this season. Including a copy of your credit report, explanations for a previous apartment/leasing-related offenses, pet disclosures, application fee money orders, and having your first and last month’s rent on-hand. Fall is not the season for hesitating when it comes to making housing offers. As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold.

2. Inventory can be an issue

When it comes to renting your next space, timing is key. As the most coveted leasing properties, in the best of neighborhoods and school districts, have been on a decline since 2016 and the trend will continue this season. According to Zillow, rentable inventory declined by 10.5% in the past 12 months

With fewer homes being available for rental, now is the season to reassess your actual square footage needs. Gone are the days of living in McMansions and ethical, smaller footprint homes are all the rage. Which makes knowing how large a home you actually need a great asset to buyers as smaller homes will be easier to acquire at an affordable price than homes larger than 2,000 square feet in size according to Zumper and Apartments.com. As landlords and leasing agents will raise the price of rent to cover the cost of land, skilled labor, building material, lack of buildable space, density rates, and advertising costs.

2. Prepare for disappointment

In a competitive market, it’s likely that there will be several applicants for each rentable space. With bidding wars becoming the new norm for many renters. Because unless you’re an applicant with impeccable credit and renting history, you face the very real possibility of not securing your rental of choice.

One way to lessen the blow of renters’ disappointment? Accept beforehand that this may be your renter’s outcome. It’s tough when you’ve fallen in love with a location, but it happens. Always be realistic about renting. As what you love about a particular apartment is also likely to also beloved by dozens of other prospective renters as well.

3. Know your budget

The best way to prevent the apartment of your dreams from slipping away is to be able to build strong offers for leasing agents.

Generally speaking, you should allocate no more than 30% of your gross monthly income. So, if you gross $5,000 per month, the max you should be paying for housing costs, including rent, is $1,500.

Knowing the exact amount of wiggle room in your budget will allow you to avoid having your budget-tight low-ball immediately rejected in this seller’s market. Because with multiple rental applications potentially on the table, agents and landlords are less inclined to play games with renters. Sometimes you just have to leverage your dream against your instinct to frugally haggle your way to your next home.

4. Be realistic

If there was ever a time to be financially realistic, it’s during a pandemic. Again, national home prices have climbed for 23 consecutive months. And the trend of high-value property rentals will also continue. Experts say prices will continue to increase in 2021. For some people, the uncertainty of the current market combined with rising prices may make renting more prudent in your area than buying. Knowing your personal rent versus buy equation could tilt toward renting in costly markets. Making you a more sought-after renter. 

5. Get Pre-Approved

Because landlords live in the real world they know the world is full of unknowns, and have no idea about your income, credit score, or debt to income ratio. In this seller’s market, being a pre-approved renter, by way of your individual leasing agent’s requirements, will give you a leg-up in renting your next property. Reassure agents that you are are a qualified, serious renter.

All-in-all, remember that Fall is kicking up its heels making now the perfect time to start figuring out how you can best afford to buy your next home this season! But if you follow the tips outlined above, the only thing you’ll have to worry about when summer comes are tan lines and garden gatherings.

Now, friends, I want to ask, are you looking to relocate or rent your next home this season? Share your journey below! 

5 Ideas for Finding More Meaning in Your Life

silhouette of person standing on rock surrounded by body of water
                                                                                Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash

It’s never a healthy feeling to think that you don’t have much meaning in your life, or that perhaps everything you do on a daily basis doesn’t really hold much meaning for you. Finding meaning in life is essential for more positivity and happiness. However, meaning in your own life should be completely personal to you; you should avoid comparing your own life to others to find meaning, and instead look within to the simple ways you can find your own fulfillment. 

Here are 5 ideas for how you can do that.

1. Set Your Own Goals 

You can find more purpose and a sense of accomplishment in life when you set your own goals. Goal setting can also help you to become more focused on achieving something specific, which can be very motivational. 

Your goals should always be your own and it doesn’t matter whether they are big or small. They can be career-oriented or goals for your personal life — whatever it is that you want to achieve. You can then plan out the right steps to achieving your goals and feel more positive knowing that you’re working towards something which has more meaning for you. 

2. Find Your Passion 

This could be in your job, or in your personal life as a hobby. Having any sort of passion in life is key to feeling more fulfilled and finding more enjoyment in your day-to-day routine. If you’re struggling to know where your passions lie, try new things, and be open to new experiences. Think about what you already like to do and tailor any new hobbies around that. 

If you’re thinking on a larger scale regarding a career which you’re passionate about, then be sure to think carefully about which careers appeal to you, what kind of working routine you would like, and how you can work to achieve any career goals. 

3. Care for Your Mental Health 

If you’re suffering from mental health struggles in any capacity, this can serve to really disrupt your life. It can leave you feeling as though your life has no meaning at all, or perhaps sets up barriers that stop you from achieving what you want to achieve. 

Caring for your mental health, and acknowledging that you’re struggling, is key to giving your life more meaning, and living the life you want to live. You can always seek help, like with edentreatment.com, to get your life back on track the way you want it to be. 

4. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

The only way to reap the biggest rewards and find new experiences is by stepping out of your comfortable routine. Try something new, try activities you’ve always wanted to do, and do those which scare you. Don’t let feeling anxious hold you back, as something you choose to do may become the thing that you’re more passionate about.

5. Surround Yourself with the Right People

Who you spend your time with can either add meaning or take it away. The right people will promote more positivity and passion in your life and these relationships will provide more fulfillment than toxic or negative ones which can sap your energy. Be sure to reevaluate any relationships if you need to. 

Try these ideas as key first steps to finding more meaning.

 

Simple Ways To Get To Know Yourself And The World Around You

In this life, we can go through a wide range of emotions and experiences. There’s literally nothing we’re prepared for initially as we’re always so raw to new feelings and events. We can do a few things in order to feel more prepared mentally and physically for what life has to throw at us, however. Sure, we can study and go through all kinds of training, but fundamentally challenging ourselves can make all the difference.

By this, we’re talking about doing basic things in order to get to know ourselves a little better – and to get to know the world around us. If we have more competence in everyday life and more of the coveted ‘common sense,’ then we’ll be capable of most things in this world. 

It’s just a case of making ourselves more capable of doing so. A lot of people on this planet go to work and then return home without really challenging themselves further. This isn’t a huge problem, but we can all become more accomplished in life if we assert ourselves a little more. Here are just a few things we can do in order to feel at one with ourselves and to feel more competent with regard to the world around us: 

Travel 

When you get up and out of your house, you start to realize a lot more about this world. If you’re daily and weekly schedule revolves around your hometown for years and years, you only really get to see that life. Your judgments are limited to a small area. Get away from your home, away from all that screen time, and away from the same thing every day. Go out and see what this eclectic world has to offer. You’ll learn so much. 

Get To Grips With The Fundamentals Of Your Health 

If you know where you stand in terms of your overall health, then you’re going to know what decisions to make going forward. You’ll also know what to avoid in the future. You shouldn’t need to do heaps of research, but educating yourself a little every now and again will help you out so much. You’ll be able to know what’s going on, and you won’t fret too much should you find yourself in a spot of bother. Looking at hearing loss types, chest pains, kinds of headaches, etc. will help you out a lot. 

Organize Yourself And Keep A Log Of Things

If you’re a more organized individual, then you’re going to have a better time when it comes to the likes of your daily routine. It’s easy to fall into a bit of a rut or to become overwhelmed with what’s in front of you. A clearer routine will result in a clearer mind, and you’ll be a lot happier for it. Things like bullet journaling, neaten up your home/workplace, and logging down what you did each day will help out a lot. 

Go Out And Try Things 

Go out and fail in life. This approach is counterintuitive because failure is often seen as a bad thing, but it’s something that leads to progress. When you fail, you learn. So go out and learn more things every single day.

Money Tips to Make That Trip of a Lifetime More Affordable

Whether you love to travel or you only occasionally go away, most people have one place that they really want to visit. If it’s somewhere close to home or easy to visit, you might have already ticked it off your bucket list. But sometimes you have that one trip of a lifetime that’s not so easy to accomplish. That might be because the destination is far away, you want to hit multiple locations at once or travel for longer, or just because you have expensive dreams. Instead of just fantasizing about your dream trip, why not actually work to make it a reality? If money is what’s making it seem out of reach, there are ways to make your trip more affordable.

Consider How to Fund Your Trip

The first thing to think about with a trip of this nature is how you’re going to fund it. It’s usually the sort of thing that you save up for, at least in part. You might spend months or even years saving for the trip that you want to go on. The best way to save for something is to set a goal and make sure you’re steadily putting aside money toward it. You might have a certain amount of money each month that you put in your travel fund. Alternatively, you might just save whatever you have leftover at the end of the month or any money that you happen to have available to save at random intervals.

Savings should probably fund the bulk of your trip, but you might also consider other ways to pay for it. Maybe you don’t want to wait until you’re able to save up, especially if it’s going to take a few years. You could get financial freedom with Wise Loan or a similar service for finding the right loan. Taking out a loan means you can spread the cost of your trip, instead of having to save up first. Another way to pay off some or all of your trip later is to use a credit card. You can put some of your expenses on your card and pay for it later. Of course, if you borrow any money, you need to make sure that you’re going to be able to repay it, plus any interest.

Look for Deals on Flights and Transport

Flights can be one of the most expensive parts of planning a big trip. If you’re looking at long-haul flights, you might be spending a lot of money just to get to and from where you’re going. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to save money on the flights that you need. Firstly, you can try to book at the right time. Booking too far away or too close to the dates that you want to fly could mean that you pay more. However, you can sometimes get last-minute deals by booking closer to your departure date. When you’re searching for flights, consider different routes that you can take, including alternatives to major airports and layovers.

You can save on other forms of transport too. Maybe your dream trip is by train. In many countries, you could save by getting a ticket or pass that lasts for several weeks or months, or takes you along certain routes. For example, if you’re traveling in Europe, you could get some good deals from EuroRail. Maybe your trip of a lifetime is a road trip, and you need to find ways to save on fuel. Caring for your vehicle and packing light can help you to use less fuel during your trip.

Find Packages to Help You Save

Sometimes the best way to save money on a trip is to book everything as a package. You can book your flights, hotel or other accommodation, and even activities all at the same time. Putting everything together like this means you have one company managing your whole trip, which can have both advantages and disadvantages. You have one point of contact, which can be helpful if anything goes wrong. Booking your trip in this way often works out the cheapest if you’re going to a popular destination. If you’re planning a trip to somewhere a little more unusual, you might find that you’re limited to private tours or can’t find anything suitable.

Compare the Cost of Tours and Packages with DIY Planning

On the other hand, booking a package won’t always work out as the cheapest option. Sometimes it’s best to book everything yourself, choosing the individual things that you want. It also means that you won’t end up doing any activities that you’re not so keen on, and you’ll get to have more control over everything. Before you decide which option is right for you, check the prices for each one. It can take a bit more time to research prices for a DIY trip, but it could be worth it if it turns out to be cheaper.

You can create a spreadsheet to help you note down the general prices you might pay. Alternatively, there are some downloadable sheets that you can find online, which you can just fill in as you conduct your research. You should think about all of the things that you might get as part of a package, tour, or all-inclusive deal. Your expenses might include transport, accommodation, food and drink, activities, and more.

Travel Off-season

It’s entirely possible that part of your dream trip is traveling during a particular season. Maybe you want to go skiing or spend your summer lounging on the beach. But if you’re more interested in a particular destination and you’re not that bothered about the weather or the temperature, you could consider planning your trip off-season. You can find much lower prices if you don’t travel during the busiest times. To make sure you know when it’s going to be the most expensive, you need to know important dates both at home and at your destination. What local events or festivals might make it more expensive? What seasons are more popular? Not all places work on a “spring, summer, fall, winter” basis. For other countries, it might be more important to know when the wet season and when the dry season occurs.

Consider Working During Your Trip

For some people, their dream trip involves long-term traveling or settling into one place to live like a local. If you’re thinking about one of these options, you might also consider working during your trip. It can be a way to really get to know somewhere new and fund your trip at the same time. Of course, if you’re considering this, you need to make sure you’re working legally. Some countries have working holiday visas or short-term work visas that are designed for exactly this purpose. They’re ideal for seasonal work, as well as for jobs suited to those looking for a cultural experience, such as au pairs. Of course, there’s no need for a visa if you’re not going abroad.

Another option is to consider creating a form of passive income. While you’re on your trip, you could still have money coming in. However, be careful about actually doing any work if you don’t have the right visa. It’s likely that you’re not even allowed to do remote work if you’re in another country as a tourist.

Image from Pixabay – CC0 License

Keep a Tight Budget

When you’re finally on your dream trip, you can save further by keeping a strict budget. Limiting your spending doesn’t have to mean not having any fun. You can still have a great time while avoiding spending too much. Firstly, you can look for free or cheap activities to do that will entertain you. A lot of sightseeing and exploration can be enjoyed for very little money. You can also look for cheaper places to eat and drink. Avoiding tourist traps will help you to save money and make it easier to find tasty local food too. It’s also smart to book accommodation with access to a kitchen so you can make your own food. Even just a fridge can be useful, allowing you to store leftovers from the meals that you eat out.

Give yourself a daily or weekly budget so you know what you can spend. You can track your expenses on your phone using an app or create a spreadsheet to add your costs too. Or if you want to keep it old school, you could just use a pen and paper to keep track.

Learn to Haggle

Haggling is a great skill to have when you’re traveling, especially in places where it’s common to haggle. Haggling gives you the chance to bring down the price of lots of things, from food to souvenirs. However, before you start haggling, make sure it’s acceptable to do in the place you’re visiting. It may be seen as rude in some places, so do a little research before you start trying to argue prices.

Once you have your budget nailed down and plans in place, tie up the final few pieces of trip admin. You can save time – and money – by applying for visas, travel permits, etc. online, such as a Dominican Republic eticket; click here for a guide on how to apply for yours online. 

All to help turn your dream trip into a dream destination-turning affordablity into reality. Friends, how do you plan to turn youir affordability into reality? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

How to Regain Your Motivation

Striving to live a kind and compassionate life, both for yourself and others, is a worthy goal, but what do you do when you’ve no motivation to do so? When you’re struggling in your daily life, it can be very hard to show kindness to yourself or the world around you when you’re viewing it in a negative light or feeling as though you don’t have the energy to do anything which brings you joy. 

This is what issues such as mental illness, low mood, and low motivation can do to you. Here’s what you should do if you want to regain your motivation during trying times. 

Take it One Step at a Time 

The biggest challenge when thinking about fulfilling an activity can be how overwhelming the idea is. You know that you want to exercise, cook a healthy meal, partake in a hobby you enjoy, or go outside, but suddenly, the idea is too big or takes too much effort. 

Taking it one small step at a time can help you to sink into a better pattern without it being too overwhelming. Don’t try to do everything at once or succeed the first time. Regaining your motivation could be getting out of bed early and getting dressed, rather than sleeping in. The next day you could then try to do the same, but add making a healthy breakfast to the list. The day after that, do the same. Soon, you’ll feel more motivated once you overcome the first initial hurdle of taking action. 

Let Others Help You 

The motivational power of others shouldn’t be overlooked. While it’s always important to be your own number one motivator, sometimes it simply isn’t possible if you don’t have the energy for it, through no fault of your own. That’s why it can make all the difference having other people on your side, especially if those people are professionally and emotionally equipped to focus specifically on low motivation and low mood. You could then let a dedicated treatment center like Ignite Teen Treatment help you find your motivation again. You can also speak to loved ones for support and inspiration for positive change. 

Change Your Environment 

Your environment can have a huge impact on how you’re feeling and your desire to do better, whether it’s your direct surroundings or even the people you associate with. If you find yourself stuck in a rut and perhaps have been spending too much time in one place, like at home in an untidy room or a room which has little natural light, you’re more likely to feel unmotivated and negative. A change of scenery may be all that is needed. 

Take a walk outside, or visit a loved one. Spend time in the garden instead of in your room, or spend time with people who really motivate you instead of those who don’t. 

Finding motivation can be extremely difficult, especially when you’re suffering from a low mood. However, it can often be the very first step that is the most difficult. Once you have overcome that barrier, you can settle into a routine and start to reap the benefits. 

Don’t Give Up: You’re not alone.

don't give up. You are not alone, you matter signage on metal fencePhoto by Dan Meyers on Unsplash

It is often said that the opposite of addiction is connection. Luckily for us humans, we are never alone. A mantra that has preserved more hearts than humanity will ever truly understand. Yet, if we are never truly alone, why is it that my significant other and I seem to be so disconnected? Why am I talking to my cat so much? And no, he’s not answering me back, as of yet.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

While I​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ have not attended 12-step meetings, I know many that have. But what I have known is the devastating effects of depression, suicidal thoughts, and the crippling fear of isolation for the past two-plus decades of my life. The need to connect with others despite crippling fear that occupies my every waking thought more days than I care to count.

Despite my social limitations, I’ve led an interesting life; having spoken before Congress, earned multiple degrees, traveled throughout the world, and missioned on three continents. I’ve worked on bettering my mental health issues. Finding personal ways to reach out to loved ones, instead of self-isolating, participate in online video conference meetings, and attend phone meetings, etc. All these options are terrific substitutes to what we know and a reminder that this pandemic is not a forever situation; this too shall pass.

However, I’m not at all likely to go to see my friends or participate in the ways I would normally self-soothe; going out to dinner, attending a farmer’s market, traveling to see family and friends in other parts of the country. All measures made near-to-impossible currently due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As it doesn’t feel safe to me, and it doesn’t feel like it respects the CDC requests to self-quarantine. We might not get COVID-19, but we could carry it and pass it on to others. I have people that I love, and I would be devastated if I carried the virus to any of those people.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve spent time coming to terms with my greatest fear- my fear of abandonment. The overwhelming worry that people close to you will leave. And I’m sure I am not alone. As anyone can develop a fear of abandonment. Often, a traumatic experience deeply rooted in childhood experiences that manifest as distressing relationships in adulthood.

If you fear abandonment, it can feel almost impossible to maintain healthy relationships. This paralyzing fear can lead you to wall yourself off to avoid getting hurt. Or you might be inadvertently sabotaging relationships. Time spent at home during the pandemic has allowed me ample opportunity to self-examine not just my fear of abandonment but specifically emotional abandonment.

We all have emotional needs and when those needs aren’t met, you may feel unappreciated, unloved, and disconnected. You can feel very much alone, even when you’re in a relationship with someone who’s physically present. Or social distance.

If you’ve experienced emotional abandonment in the past, especially as a child, you may live in perpetual fear that it will happen again. While it’s normal for babies and toddlers to go through a separation anxiety stage, what happens when your symptoms manifest as a 30-something adult woman? While you desire to cry, scream, or refuse to let go of others. Attachments that often take on a socially- inappropriate undertone. Often leaving me feeling rejected and disappointed. Yet, afraid to share these feelings with others. Especially when socially distancing at home.

A fear that prevents me from becoming vulnerable in relationships, trusting others and their motives, worrying excessively about relationships, and suspicious of my partners. Anxieties that cause the other person to pull back, perpetuating the cycle. Worse, symptoms of this fear for me are very predictable, including:

  • Sensitivity to perceived criticism
  • Difficulty making friends
  • Taking extreme measures to avoid rejection or separation
  • Sabotaging relationships
  • Difficulty committing to a relationship
  • Obsessively working too hard to please partners
  • Self-blaming for failed relationships
  • Staying in long-term narcissistic, or codependent relationships

Now, what do I believe causes many of my fears of abandonment? For me, this stems from being abandoned by my biological mother, an emotionally distant maternal figure, my maternal grandmother, including being her long-term caretaker during her eventual demise from early-onset dementia, the murder of my main caretaker, my maternal great uncle Danny at the age of sixteen, rape, and a series of failed long-term adult romantic relationships.

I’m also an avoidant personality type. Which is a personality disorder that can involve fear of abandonment resulting in the person feeling socially inhibited or inadequate. Many of my own personal symptoms for this disorder include:

  • Nervousness
  • Poor self-esteem
  • Fear of being judged
  • Self-imposed social isolation
  • Panic attacks
  • Distress at the thought of being separated from loved ones
  • Nightmares
  • Mood swings
  • Fear of intimacy
  • Depression

And, of course, you may be asking what are my perceived fear of abandonment? A few examples include:

  • Thoughts of, “No attachment, no abandonment.”
  • Obsessively freighting over perceived faults of what others may think of me.
  • Feeling crushed when someone gets upset with you.
  • Feel inadequate and unappealing.
  • Feeling critical of my partner.

While fear of abandonment isn’t a diagnosable mental health disorder, for myself and others, it can be addressed with therapy, life-coaching, journaling, speaking with houses of faith, and confiding with partners. All of which I’ve been able to do via online methods during the Covid-19 pandemic at home.

Other at-home tips include giving yourself grace from harsh self-judgment. Reminding yourself of all the positive qualities that make you a good friend and partner. And if need be, seeking online therapy or rehab services. Get help TODAY if you are inactive addiction. If you need treatment, start your road to recovery today contact rehab Hawaii.

Also, if you’re in a relationship with someone with abandonment issues, friendship and otherwise, a few tips to help those loved ones including talking to the other person about your fear of abandonment and how it came to be, allowing your partner to be mindful of what you expect of others. Explaining where you’re coming from, but don’t make your fear of abandonment something for them to fix. Don’t expect more of them than is reasonable.

Overall, remember that we all live in unsettling times, you might feel like you’re abandonment issues are on hyper-alert. As it’s a natural feeling as we are isolated from the world, not working, seeing friends, etc. Even in times when we may feel the need to used drinking or drugs as our go-to solution for many years. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Though COVID-19 and social distancing might come and go, we can FEEL normal. We can feel loved. Abandonment is fixable. Starting with loving yourself. Then, share your troubles with these. After all, a problem shared is a problem cut in half.

Do we all live in unsettled times? To say the least. Proverbially or otherwise. during a pandemic feels like we have no control. We were powerless over drugs and alcohol and now, we are powerless to get to a face-to-face meeting. However, please don’t let this necessary isolation take you to a destructive place. No need to pull the shades and hide. Open the windows and let the light of day shine in. The universe has amazing and positive vibes to send you if you just keep your mind, your heart, and your soul open to it.

Just do something today. Call a friend. Write a blog post. Sanitize your house. Celebrate yourself. You’re worth fighting for. You’re worth the whole damn world. Friends, do you struggle with abandonment issuers? If you have tips for working past these fears, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Top Tips To Feel More Confident At Zoom Meetings

With the state the world is in at the moment due to COVID, it is no surprise that a lot more businesses have moved to work from home either full time or part-time. This has now led to the meetings you would usually attend in person, being held on the virtual meeting system, Zoom. The only problem with these Zoom meetings, other than trying to pay attention the whole time, is that you may not feel comfortable being on camera. 

Feeling anxious about being on camera can be due to a number of factors, from worries about doing something embarrassing to concerns about how you look. 

Here are some tips that may help you to feel more confident when on your Zoom Meeting Video calls.

Source: Pixabay

Make an effort

Just because you are working from home, that doesn’t mean that you can’t make an effort in regards to how you look. When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good you tend to feel more confident as you know that you look presentable. 

You can do this in a number of ways. Firstly, dressing smartly as if you were going to the office will help give your confidence a boost. When getting dressed up you may feel more comfortable as this is something you would have done if going to the office as normal. You can also do your hair as well if this something that you would normally do for work or if you know you feel more confident with a certain hairstyle. Doing your makeup can also help as this is known to be a major confidence booster. For some women when they have their lips, eyes, and hair done it makes them feel happier and boosts their self-esteem. ​​​​​​​

Be organized

Even though you are working from homing and doing your meetings from home, you can still make sure you are organized for your day. Having a notebook and pen for meetings is a good idea so that you can note down anything important, also before the meeting making sure all your devices are working properly is a good idea. Having audio not work or not being able to get into your meeting can knock your confidence, as you may feel like you’re disrupting things. This can be especially embarrassing as you don’t access to IT support as you would do in the office. 

Choose the correct environment

Making sure that you are in a comfortable and quiet area of your home is best when attending a Zoom meeting. It can knock your confidence and be embarrassing if you are interrupted or your colleagues see something in the background while you are in the meeting. Somewhere that will not have people coming in and out, is quiet, and has good lighting is perfect for when you are in a virtual meeting. 

Hopefully, the above-mentioned tips will help you to feel far more confident when on your next Zoom meeting.