Everyone has times in their life when they feel inadequate and emotionally drained, but some of us feel that way more often than others. Many of us tend to focus on the negative events and unfortunate situations that have taken place throughout the day. Do you know what you want out of life but can’t seem to master up the confidence you need to go out and get it? If so, chances are you are dealing with self-doubt. Everyone experiences self-doubt from time to time, it can help motivate you to improve your performance and avoid making the kind of mistakes associated with having too much self-confidence. However, if its left uncontrolled, self-doubt can keep you from achieving your goals. Self-doubt involves second-guessing yourself, hesitating, worrying and feeling miserable. If this persists it holds many people back from pursuing their dreams. It makes getting started or finishing things harder than they need to be.
Self-doubt often causes us to:
-Avoid taking on new challenges/tasks
-Procrastinate and try to put things off
-Overwork in an effort to prove ourselves wrong and risk burning ourselves out
-Suffer from imposter syndrome which is the inability to accept praise for our efforts because we believe we don’t deserve it.
Here are some tips to help you to become confident:
Accept that it is normal- A little bit of self-doubt is common and is even somewhat necessary when you are doing something that pushes your boundaries. Fear of failure is a universal human emotion, experienced by some of the world’s most successful people.
Live in the present- Try to ground yourself and think about the now. Just because you were not able to accomplish something before doesn’t mean you cannot try it again and achieve it.
Trust in Yourself- If you tell yourself that you cannot do something, then you probably won’t even try in the first place. Have faith in yourself, tell yourself that you are just as capable as the next person of achieving your dreams.
Find the source of your self-doubt- If you find yourself constantly telling yourself you are not good enough, what is the reason behind this?
Spend time with others- overcome self-doubt by having people around you who can offer encouragement, support, guidance and feedback. Simply voicing your self-doubt to others can put it in perspective and make you realise how irrational this negativity can be. People can also offer advice and support that will motivate you and give you a confidence boost.
Stay present- practice staying present in the moment and try not to regret the past or worry about the future.
