Everyone grapples with self-doubt once in a while and it is natural to experience it from time to time. We all have occasional doubts about our actions and decisions, and worrying about those things is part of being human. However, if you have prolonged feelings of self-doubt, it can become an issue that impacts many parts of your life and eventually debilitate and stall your personal growth.
What Is Self-Doubt?
Self-doubt is lack of confidence regarding yourself and your abilities, it’s a mindset that holds you back from succeeding and believing in yourself. Self-doubt is characterized by feelings of uncertainty regarding one or more aspects of the self. Self-doubt can stem from things like anxiety disorders, childhood trauma, or attachment style issues. Many times, self-doubt comes from negative life experiences such as constant criticism, bullying, and being berated or humiliated. If you’re constantly plagued by persistent self-doubt, it’s a good idea to take a step back and recognize the negative impact it may be having on your life or career. From there you can work to implement self-confidence boosting strategies that can help you tackle self-doubt.
7 TIPS TO OVERCOME SELF DOUBT
Self-doubt is a broad issue that is very hard to deal with, but there are things you can do to move past it, and become your best self. Here are the 7 ways to overcome self-doubt:
1) IDENTIFY YOUR LIMITING BELIEFS
Our beliefs are like a roadmap for our life. They can take us in bold new directions, or they can cause us to feel like we’re just treading water, too scared to go after what we really want. If you’re in the “treading water” category, examining your limiting beliefs should be at the top of your list for how to overcome self-doubt. Once you identify what’s holding you back, you can change your mindset.
2) FIND VALIDATION FROM WITHIN
Since self-doubt thrives on a lack of validation, remembering/better understanding who you are as an individual (beliefs, values, strengths, etc.) and improving your relationship with yourself is a good way to overcome self-doubt. While it’s great to feel reassured from others that we are doing a good job or that we are capable of accomplishing a difficult task, it’s equally important to have our own faith in ourselves.
3) THINK ABOUT YOUR PAST ACHIEVEMENTS
Self-reflection is a fantastic tool; it reminds us that we’re capable of what we want to achieve. But living in the past can take away from the present moment. Learning from what’s happened — not dwelling on the bad — and focusing on using the lessons you’ve learned from those times to improve the present is what truly matters.
4) TRY NOT TO COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS
Self-doubt often causes us to compare ourselves to others. The goal may be to make us feel better, but it usually just leads to feeling worse. Everyone’s life is different, and someone else excelling doesn’t mean you don’t have any strengths. Instead of comparing yourself to others, focus on yourself — it’s one of the best ways to stay happy and accomplish your dreams.
5)CHANGE YOUR SELF TALK
We tend to be hard on ourselves and use negative self-talk. It may seem harmless, but if you’re speaking poorly to yourself, it sets up the space to allow that kind of criticism from others. Our words create our reality – and that includes both the words we say and the words we think. Stop believing everything your inner critic says. Argue with it. Eventually, your inner critic will turn into your inner champion.
6) SPEND TIME WITH SUPPORTIVE PEOPLE
Being around people who put us down is one of the worst things for our mental health. Spend your time with people who make you feel good; they can build you up when you’re struggling and remind you of how talented and resilient you are.
7) START JOURNALING
Journaling is always a therapeutic exercise to practice. Make an effort to record what you’re thankful for and what you’re proud of doing each day. Your journal may cover everything from earning a promotion at work or remembering to do the dishes. This can help to gradually overcome self-doubt.
Written by Sharon
