11 Habits That Classy People Stick To On A Regular Basis
People who dedicate time to these habits 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, classy people often adapt to their surroundings thanks to an empathetic nature that allows them to be comfortable and comforting.
Whether it's finding a routine that promotes moving your body, adopting a new creative passion, or cultivating a new wardrobe, there are certain habits that classy people stick to on a regular basis that have everything to do with comfort and confidence. So, look to your community, routine, and mind to figure out what works best for you, and you'll find yourself embodying a classy life in no time.
Here are 11 habits that classy people stick to on a regular basis
1. Adopting stress management techniques
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Stress management techniques can include things like yoga, Tai Chi, or meditation. According to a study published in the journal Healthcare, 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.
Classy people use these techniques to make the best of their stress. Rather than letting their stress and anxiety consume them, they stick to learning and growing from situations that others might fall victim to.
2. Learning to control their impulses
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One of the habits that classy people stick to on a regular basis is keeping their cool and remaining 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. But as adjunct clinical professor of psychiatry Thomas Plante explained, 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. Dedicating time to being alone
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Despite being difficult for many, being alone is sometimes painted in a much more positive light. Knowing that you can support yourself through life's lowest and highest points helps to increase confidence, self-esteem and productivity. And aside from helping your own mental health, studies, including one published in Frontiers in Psychology, 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. Doing things that scare them
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Classy people 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. As hypnotherapist Keya Murphy explained, "You are more than your fears. Fear that you can't fight makes you freeze. Maybe feeling brave isn't your thing, so let's begin with something else. How about courage? I call courage 'faith in action.' You don't have to be religious to have faith in yourself."
5. Cultivating a healthy inner circle of people
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Internal growth is a difficult process, but for many people, 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 classy people only cultivate healthy inner circles that promote and model healthy behaviors.
Clinical therapist Tasha Jackson explained the ways a healthy inner circle can promote healthy habits. "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," she explained.
6. Adopting a creative hobby or passion
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In addition to relieving stress, boosting creativity through hobbies or passions promotes effective problem-solving and innovation. Class acts are innovators by nature, creatively cultivating healthy environments based on self-awareness and broadening the perspectives of the people around them.
Because creative passions are another of the habits that classy people stick to on a regular basis, they're able to 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. Sticking to a healthy sleep schedule
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Classy people are in the habit of making healthy choices, cultivating important skills, and fostering meaningful connections with their peers — all things that are virtually impossible to do while exhausted. Ensuring that you're well-rested and calm throughout the day is directly linked to the quality of sleep you're getting at night.
Research shows 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. Practicing daily positive affirmations
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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 explained the shift in positive energy that happens when you learn to tweak positive affirmations to your benefit. "Remember you are practicing rather than trying. Try implies doubt while practice makes you better," she revealed. Finding affirmations you resonate with, using present tense, and staying consistent are all tactics she encourages to perfect the practice.
9. Going to therapy, whether they feel they need it or not
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Similar to regular doctor's visits or dentist appointments, therapy can help to ensure your mental health is flourishing. And attending therapy regularly is one of the habits that classy people stick to on a regular basis — not just because they have emotional regulation, but because they don't hold grudges or hold onto the past, and want to work through what ails them.
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. Using a paper planner for task management
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Whether it be work tasks or your daily errands, using a planner is how class acts organize their time effectively. Oftentimes, online calendars or apps make it too easy to fill up time with tasks that ultimately become overwhelming and don't get done. But 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.
According to psychiatrist Dr. Gail Saltz, "For some people, writing makes them feel more engaged with the subject matter which, if this is the case, may be more helpful to their mental health because they are more able to think about and process the material they feel more engaged with and will learn or remember."
11. Wearing clothes they feel empowered and comfortable in
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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. And when classy people wear clothes they love that fit and make them feel like a million bucks, they take that attitude out into the world with them.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
