What is self doubt? It is the feeling of being unsure about your ability and capacity. It mostly happens when you are tasked to do something outside of your comfort zone, making you question your capability to complete the task. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome self doubt but know that it is a process.
What Causes Self-Doubt
There are various reasons why you may experience self-doubt, one of which is a past failure or traumatic experience. Your confidence may have been crushed, making you feel like an imposter and causing you to fall down the spiral of thoughts.
1. Broken Childhood
You may be one of the unlucky ones with narcissistic parents who constantly ridicule you when you make mistakes. It can be tough to address it yourself, so talking to a professional will help you move on from childhood traumas.
2. Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome goes hand-in-hand with self-doubt, where, despite your success, you will still feel like you’re a failure and just living an “impostor” life. And because of previous experiences, you will think that you are not being good enough.
3. Drill Sergeant Approach
You are your own enemy. Sometimes, criticizing yourself is effective in achieving specific goals, like in fitness. But it is only recommended at times when you need that extra push. When you self-criticize repeatedly, you will constantly doubt what you can do as a person.
4. Fear of Failure
This is one of the most prevalent reasons why you may develop self-doubt. When you’re afraid of failure, you will doubt your capabilities and always ask yourself, “Am I good enough to do this?”
The only way to overcome this feeling is to dive right in. You can only be prepared for something if you dive right into it and improve while you go. Take that first step, and don’t stop yourself from growing.
How to Overcome Self-Doubt
There are no overnight remedies for addressing self-doubt and finding its cause. Still, you can gradually decrease it through repetitive actions.
1. Be Compassionate With Yourself
You know how to be kind to others, but do you know how to be kind to yourself? If you make mistakes, forgive and move on with life. Dwelling on your previous experiences will not help you cope with self-doubt.
2. Reminisce on Your Achievements
Overcoming self-doubt is never easy, but you know what is? Remembering the good times. Did you ace that interview at a top-notch university? Have you contributed a lot to the project that your company released? Remind yourself of what you can do.
Hyping yourself with past validations and accomplishments will help build your confidence. Once those negative thoughts start clouding your mind, always tell yourself that you did this and you did that.
3. Do Not Compare Yourself With Others
It is challenging to do, especially in these fast-paced and overachieving times. It will feel like you constantly need to do something spectacular to get ahead of others, which is wrong and just egotistic.
Stop comparing yourself with what others can do because they are different from you. You are a unique individual with various skills and expertise that can make a change if you put your heart and mind into it.
4. Stay Mindful of Your Thoughts
Some people think negatively once they don’t do anything to distract their minds. It is not easy to stop this kind of behavior, but you can lessen it by becoming mindful of your thoughts.
Also, you can do something mind-nurturing like reading and writing to stop negative thinking. Be mindful of what you feed into your brain, which will benefit you in the future.
5. Spend Time With Loved Ones
Overcome self-doubt by spending time with family and friends whenever you’re free. It will stop your mind from indulging in traumatic experiences and mistakes. This activity is also a way to feel your love and care for each other.
For example, if you’re free every Sunday, go to the mall with your family or catch up over dinner with your college best friends. It is also a way to replenish your energy to face another week of work.
6. Validate Yourself Every Single Time
How do you stop self-doubt? Constant validation. It may sound narcissistic at worst but validating yourself for every achievement you unlock is a great way to overcome self-doubt. It will boost your confidence about your capability as a person.
Did you get a passing grade on your Math exam? Did your boss commend your report/presentation? Validate yourself by buying rewards to remember this moment in the future.
7. Write on a Journal
When you can’t speak the right words to others to express your doubts, grab a journal and write everything out. It is one of the ways to free your mind from all negative thoughts and not fall into despair.
You don’t need to follow a particular format when writing in a journal. Write what happened that day and write everything running in your mind. You can reflect on it the next day before writing a new entry in your journal.
8. Remind Yourself That You’re Only Human
You may sometimes forget that you are only a human being. Remember that your past mistakes and failures do not and will not define your capability today. Be compassionate with yourself, and focus on what you want to accomplish.
9. Focus on Your Strengths
The only person who truly knows your strengths and weaknesses is YOU. Hence, focusing on your strength when applying for work or when doing tasks at school will give you a chance to accomplish tasks.
Are you good at communicating? Utilize it when looking for jobs, and you will find the suitable position you’re looking for. It is primarily applicable when you are given a task to contribute to a specific task.
10. Consult With a Professional
The best thing you can do to care for yourself is to seek help from licensed psychologists and medical professionals. Sometimes, the only way to convince your brain that you are good enough is to talk it out with someone who will not judge.
These people have studied hard to ensure that you will be assessed correctly, and they can create a plan for your wellness. You don’t need to do anything but talk about all your self-doubts while they listen to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Overthinking Cause Self-Doubt?
Yes, when you overthink the steps to take to accomplish a task, you will develop self-doubt as you go. Stop over-analyzing your task because you are likely to think poorly of yourself.
Why Do I Lose My Confidence So Easily?
It is never your fault why you lose confidence so quickly. Past traumatic experiences and constant overthinking negatively affect your self-esteem. Sometimes, people expect too much from themselves, which should not be the case.
How Do I Get Rid of Self-Doubt?
Self-doubt is a culmination of previous mistakes and experiences that you still bring up even to this day. Learning to trust yourself will put your foot one step forward to getting rid of self-doubt.
Always trust yourself and your capabilities as a human being. Yes, you will still make mistakes, but you should use them to improve and achieve more extraordinary things in life.
You Can Also Read This:
- Daily Habits Of Successful People You Can Follow
- The 5 Stages Of Burnout: Which Stage Are You On?
- Do You Hate Receiving Compliments? Here’s Why
