We know the drill: You’ve grown increasingly bored with your look, your job or your hobbies, or maybe all three and need to boost confidence. You struggle to find an effective form of self-expression, and you’re wondering where to go from here. You’ve read the self-help titles, but nothing seems to stick. How do you reinvent yourself or feel confident, and where do you find such inspiration? Take a deep breath; help is on the way. We’ve compiled some simple steps and easy changes you can make to boost your confidence and get out of a life rut, also known as where you may be right now.

Boost Confidence Now

Ditch Your Comfort Zone

It’s time to disrupt your routine. If you’re a gym rat, switch things up and exercise outside, or sign up for a workout class you’d normally shy away from. If you don’t exercise regularly, now is the perfect opportunity to start. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular exercise as little as 30 minutes a day, five days a week can improve your mood, boost your energy levels, encourage healthy sleep patterns and even positively impact your sex life.

This advice doesn’t just apply to exercise. Push the boundaries in other areas of your life, too; take a solo cooking or painting class, join a book club or volunteer for a local charity. Volunteer Match pairs people up with a good cause in their city, and volunteering will help you get out of yourself. By forcing yourself into new situations, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to grow, meet new people, discover an area of interest and learn something new.

Make a Drastic Change

Are you bored with your look? Change things up to boost confidence. If you’re unsure where to start, ask your friends whose style you admire where they shop. Many boutiques and major retailers offer free and no-pressure stylists to guide you in the right direction. Or, type “personal stylist” into Google and see what comes up in your area. Become a regular reader of a few fashion blogs.

It doesn’t stop at clothes. If you’ve had the same hair style and color for years, consider getting new ones. For something less intrusive, stop by your local beauty counter and sample some of the season’s new colors. Or, if you wear glasses, consider switching to contacts. Vision Direct stocks a wide variety of brands; they even carry colored contacts to change your eye color.

Friend or Foe?

Are your friends keeping you down? Are they pulling you into their own funk or encouraging you to do things you normally wouldn’t do? Though it can be difficult, sometimes you need to weed some of your current friends out of your network. Friends should be positive, helpful forces in your life, picking you up when you’re down, helping boost confidence and inspiring you to try new things. If it’s time to expand your network, invite a colleague out for drinks or attend a professional work event. Chances are your industry or city hosts a number of social events annually. Meetup offers numerous social events and outings to fit every taste and interest, so get out there.

Talk It Out

Sometimes, all you really need is someone to talk to. If you need to get some things off your chest but would rather not vent to a friend or family member, consider seeing a therapist. Or check out a local yoga studio and master the art of meditation. Lastly, if you think your career might be stalled, reach out to life coach. Sometimes you don’t realize what opportunities await you until someone else sheds some light. Life Coach Spotter can help you find someone nearby.

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Emily Roberts MA, LPC is The Guidance Girl. Her goal is to help YOU become the most confident person you know! Emily is an award-winning author Express Yourself: A Teen Girls Guide to Speaking Up and Becoming Who You Are, Psychotherapist, TV & Media Contributor, Educational Speaker, and parenting consultant. She travels around the country educating girls, women, and parents. Express Yourself is available at bookstores nationwide and on Amazon. To learn more about Emily click here.