From Sasha Fierce to Hannah Montana, Slim Shady to Ziggy Stardust, celebrities have relied on the power of this one trick to download unstoppable confidence - and you can do it to!

It’s a relief to know that confidence is learned, which means that anyone can increase their own confidence with a little help and practice.

For years, celebrities have used the power of an “alter ego” to distance themselves from perceived flaws and limitations and step into a character that embodies their ideal traits - and confidence.

Dubbed “The Batman Effect” , psychologists have shared that recent research shows self-distancing can reduce anxiety by allowing us to take a step back from our initial feelings and instead look at a situation more rationally.

Try these 3 Tips to practice self-distancing and increase your confidence:

1. Take the Bird’s Eye View: Research done by Ethan Cross, professor of psychology at University of Michigan, found that small shifts in perspective can create a significantly different outcome. Instead of sinking into the minute details of what could go wrong - take the bird’s eye view and consider the larger perspective. Taking a “distanced” view of the event helps us to work through perceived problems more rationally and helps us to feel more in-control of our emotions.

2. Talk to Yourself in the Third Person: Next time an event or situation has you doubting yourself, talk through it in the third person. Instead of “I’m feeling anxious about meeting new people,” try “Courtney feels anxious to meet new people.” By distancing yourself from this negative emotion, you can instead take an outside perspective. If your friend came up and share this feeling with you, how would you respond? You would probably tell them that they’re an awesome person and have nothing to worry about - tell yourself the same thing.

3. Download an Alter Ego: Take time to imagine and journal your ideal self. Writing in the third person, detail what you like about this person - how they dress, what they look like, how the treat other people, the traits they have and goals they achieve. Create this character based on how you want to feel… and then, SHOW UP. What would happen in an ideal world? How would they handle it? By writing this out, we give ourselves a clear look into the future we desire and the tools to practice those skills until we become it and can drop the alter ego all together!

The next time you need a confidence boost, try self-distancing and visualize your ideal self. These tips will help you to create a vision and a path to actualizing your best self.

Do you have an Alter Ego? Let me know in the comments!