11 Impressive Ways To Be A Class Act In Any Situation
People who dedicate time to these activities handle all of life’s situations with class.
PeopleImages.com Yuri A / Shutterstock People deemed as class acts often exemplify traits envied by others. It’s what we all aspire to be — confident, graceful, and self-aware.
Helpful in tumultuous times, class acts often adapt to their surroundings thanks to an empathetic nature that allows them to be comfortable and comforting.
Here are 11 ways to be a class act in any situation:
1. Adopt stress management techniques like yoga, Tai Chi, and exercise.
According to a 2020 study on dealing with stressful situations, using coping mechanisms like exercise and meditation can greatly decrease negative impacts of stress. Dealing with stress is a part of everyone’s daily lives, so maintaining stress management techniques can ensure healthy reactions to intense situations.
Class acts use these techniques to make the best of stress — learning and growing from situations that others might fall victim to.
2. Learn to control your impulses.
One of the telltale signs of a class act is being able to stay even keeled when emotions run high. A class act will always take time to weigh the outcomes before acting impulsively and that's why they make great leaders.
It's not always easy to be cool when your gut is screaming at you to react. Preparing in advance by anticipating the outcomes of any given situation and practicing delayed response techniques like counting to 10 before reacting are simple techniques that can make a huge difference in affecting your demeanor.
3. Dedicate time to being alone — and show up for yourself.
Despite being difficult for many, social media has largely shifted over the past decade to paint being alone in a much more positive light.
The Mindset Healer podcast on TikTok reminds people about the importance of alone time — knowing that you can support yourself through both life’s lowest and highest points helps to increase confidence, self-esteem and productivity.
Aside from helping your own mental health, studies show that dedicating time to being alone can increase an individual’s empathy for others. Class acts are not only confident in their own ability to navigate life, but are ready to support others in theirs.
So, the next time you commit to spending time with yourself — whether that’s taking yourself to dinner, reading a book before bed, or spending the weekend in — make sure you show up for yourself the same way you would for another person.
4. Go sky-diving — or dedicate time to do something else that scares you.
Class acts are courageous. They embrace change and don’t hesitate to take on challenges that make them uncomfortable. You don’t wake up one day suddenly ready to take on the world, but class acts do commit to facing challenges — even when they are more inclined to avoid them.
Once you start taking baby steps towards facing your fears — you become unstoppable. “I call courage ‘faith in action’,” hypnotherapist Keya Murphy explained, “you don’t have to be religious to have faith in yourself.”
5. Cultivate a healthy inner circle of people.
Internal growth is a difficult process, but for many the journey could be made easier with outside support. When we surround ourselves with toxic people, whether it be friends, colleagues, or family, we often subconsciously adopt their behavior.
Toxic relationships and friendships often stagnate growth journeys, but class acts only cultivate healthy inner circles that promote and model healthy behaviors.
Psychotherapist Tasha Jackson uses TikTok to illuminate the ways a healthy inner circle can promote healthy habits, saying, “They see your bids for vulnerability, and hold you and see you… actually pulling you out for more bids of connections and making you feel good inside.”
6. Adopt a creative hobby or delve into a new passion.
In addition to relieving stress, boosting creativity through hobbies or passions promotes effective problem solving and innovation. Class acts are innovators. They creatively cultivate healthy environments based on self-awareness and broaden the perspectives of the people around them.
Class acts bolster connections, contribute and build communities, and help the people around them to open their minds and perspectives. Overcoming prejudice, bias, and inherently discriminate behaviors, class acts are welcoming, accepting, humble and gracious to others.
7. Stick to a healthy sleeping schedule.
Class acts make healthy choices, cultivate important skills, and foster meaningful connections with their peers — all things that are virtually impossible to do while exhausted. Ensuring that you are well-rested and calm throughout the day is directly linked to the quality of sleep you’re getting at night.
Studies show that adults often perform best with an average of 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. While schedules, families, and work might make that feel impossible — think about the ways you could make more time and be more productive during the day when you’re well-rested. Charge your battery to ensure your attitude, standards, and habits don’t shift to the back burner come morning time.
8. Practice daily positive affirmations.
Using positive affirmations can help to evoke incredible change in your life — from bolstering confidence to attracting healthy people to finding community. Ensuring you’re finding the right affirmations for you and using them effectively can be the switch to adopting a practice class acts use for positive change.
Life Coach Kelly Rudolph explains the shift in positive energy that happens when you learn to tweak positive affirmations to your benefit. “Remember you are practicing,” she writes, “rather than trying. Try implies doubt while practice makes you better.”
Finding affirmations you resonate with, using present tense, and staying consistent are all tactics she encourages to perfect the practice.
9. Go to therapy, whether you feel you need it or not.
Similar to regular doctor’s visits or dentist appointments, therapy can help to ensure your mental health is flourishing.
Class acts have emotional regulation, but outside of that, they don’t hold grudges or hold onto the past. In your day-to-day life, letting go of anger and resentment is no easy task. Therapy can provide the space to talk about those emotions, or to simply talk about daily struggles and build positive coping skills.
Using therapy as a regular tool in your daily life can help to alleviate stress and prevent struggles before they manifest down the road.
10. Use a paper planner for task management.
Whether it be work tasks or your daily errands, using a planner is one way class acts organize their time effectively. Oftentimes, many people find that online calendars or apps make it too easy to fill up their time with tasks that ultimately become overwhelming and don’t get done.
Using a paper planner helps encourage intentionality and thoughtfulness when planning your day — two characteristics that can help promote positivity as you move through your daily life.
“For some people, writing makes them feel more engaged,” Dr. Gail Saltz says about paper planners, “which may be more helpful to their mental health as they think about and process the material they feel more engaged with.”
11. Wear clothes that you feel empowered and comfortable in.
Our outward appearance shifts the way that the world perceives us.
Class acts don’t automatically adopt a traditional “classy” wardrobe of trench coats and well-tailored clothing. Rather, they find clothing that makes them feel comfortable and confident — allowing their personality and demeanor to shine through.
Ultimately finding the clothes that speak to you personally will promote a more welcoming and rewarding lifestyle outside of your space.
Class acts are comfortable, confident, and self-aware people.
Whether you’re finding a routine that promotes moving your body, adopting a new creative passion, or cultivating a new wardrobe — finding class in your day-to-day life has everything to do with your own comfort and confidence.
Look to your community, your routine, and your mind to figure out what works best for you, and you’ll find yourself embodying a “classy” life in no time.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture analysis and human interest stories.