Week 3: Action Woman Week

Top tips to overcome shyness

• Remind yourself that people are very busy in our modern world and are not just focusing on you and your faults!
• When you meet someone new and start to feel shy, turn the spotlight on them, and ask them questions.
• Focus on one thought at a time when first speaking to someone as shy people tend to let thousands of thoughts swirl around their mind which makes them tongue-tied.

Insecure body image There's enormous pressure for us to be physically perfect. Not only are we expected to look attractive, but we're also expected to be as slim and toned as possible. The basic human figure was not designed for perfection! It was designed for physically challenging tasks and to reproduce.

The majority of women worry about their physical attractiveness at some point in their lives. These insecurities hold them back from living life to the full. Believe me, men get very annoyed when a woman goes on about their imagined faults, and most agree that the stick-thin image is not what they are looking for. That is why curvier women like Catherine Zeta Jones and Charlotte Church always rate highly in the sex appeal polls, voted for by men!

Top tips for a positive body image

• Men simply do not notice our lumps and bumps. Their visual system is not tuned in to such details. What they notice is the overall package, particularly body language signals. Stand confidently, smile as if you mean it, and remember you're fabulous.
• Emphasise the parts of you that you feel best about. There are so many fashion tricks to put to good use to enhance your best attributes and disguise the bits you don't like so much. Stand in front of a mirror, preferably naked, and 'soften' the way you look at yourself by focusing on the whole package, not just the bits you don't like. Be gentle on yourself and affirm that you are wonderful the way you are.