Taking care of borrowed possessions. When you borrow something and take good care of it, the person you borrowed it from will surely be appreciative. Being polite. Always remember to say please and thank you, follow the rules, and practice good manners. Cleaning up after yourself. If you don’t clean up after yourself when you make a mess, someone else will have to. This can make people frustrated instead of impressed.
In some situations, it may be inconvenient to write down your promises. In this case, you might want to pause what you’re doing and take care of it while you remember. You can always continue what you were doing later, when your promise is complete.
When you feel emotional, ask yourself, “Would I say or do this normally? If I say or do this, will I hurt someone?” If the answer is yes, you may want to wait until you calm down before you do anything. Taking deep, regular breaths can help you calm down. [3] X Research source Breathe in slowly for five seconds, hold the breath for five seconds, and exhale the breath for five seconds. You may need to repeat this a few times, but after you should feel somewhat calmer.
Try practicing maintaining eye contact by looking at yourself in the mirror. You can do this while you’re brushing your teeth, or you can set a timer and practice eye contact by itself. It may be difficult for you to make eye contact with strangers at first. You may want to start practicing with people you are comfortable with, like with teachers, family members, and close acquaintances.
Eating healthy is another way to take care of your appearance. Eating well will help you grow healthy and strong. Regular exercise will build muscle and keep your body in good shape. This way you can impress people with your strength and endurance. [5] X Trustworthy Source Association for Psychological Science Nonprofit organization devoted promoting trustworthy research and education in the psychological sciences Go to source
Helping others can also make you feel better about yourself. It might seem like a drag at the time, but offering a helping hand can lead you to feeling happier and more connected to people. [6] X Research source
You might want to carry a pen and pad of paper with you so you can write down words you hear that you don’t know to look up later. If you have a cellphone, you can write yourself a note or send yourself a text so you don’t forget to investigate words later. It’s easy to feel self-conscious when someone uses a word you don’t know, but you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions. Asking someone you’re speaking with what a word means is a quick, direct way of learning new words.
You might want to explain yourself further when recognizing others’ opinions. For example, you might say, “I hear what you’re saying, and I think you have a good point, but I disagree with you for these reasons. . . "
If you find that you’re having a difficult time admitting you’re wrong, try positively coaching yourself through those feelings. You might tell yourself, “It’s OK to be wrong. People are wrong all the time. I made a mistake, it’s no big deal. "
When the right word is on the tip of your tongue, you can ask others for help. You might say, “I’m drawing a blank. The word I’m looking for starts with a ’t. ’ Can you help me think of it?” In some situations, there might not be a word that perfectly captures how you feel. When this happens, you might describe the feeling and follow up by asking, “Have you ever felt that way?”
A good way for you to encourage yourself to take your time is by interrupting yourself. If you feel your thoughts racing, pause and slowly count to five. After that, you can reconsider what you were thinking about with a level head. [12] X Research source
When judging the logic of your thoughts, ask yourself, “Do my reasons lead directly to my conclusion?” If yes, it’s likely your logic is strong. If not, you may need to re-think things. Try not to rely on other people’s opinions to support the logic of your thoughts. Just because someone you respect said something doesn’t mean it is correct. [14] X Research source
Sometimes you can spend too much time thinking about all the things that are wrong with your idea. Instead, you may want to come up with only two or three major flaws or arguments against. Try to resolve these with your idea.
“I really want to be an engineer, so I’m going to work hard in school and take plenty of math and science classes. I’m also thinking about joining the robotics club because that will look good on college applications. For school, I’m thinking about going to MIT, but it might be too expensive, so my backup is Georgia Tech. "
