Are you prone to self-doubt? I know I am.
Self-doubt is a nasty feeling. However, I believe that going through self-doubt could be an opportunity to become better or to be more intentional in making yourself better.
Depending on your approach, self- doubt could lead you to know yourself more, like identifying your weaknesses and strengths, or it could lead you to hate yourself. It all depends on how you face the bump on the road.
What is self-doubt?
Self-doubt is defined as being unsure of one’s ability, success, potential, or skill to perform a task. It is the feeling that you get when you don’t think you can do something, and this feeling is what usually hinders you from trying new things.
Are you sick of being hindered by your thoughts and feelings?
Here are the 10 best tips that you can do right now to stop doubting yourself.
1.Acknowledge Your Feelings
Being in denial about your doubts is not going to help at all.
Sometimes it is fine to doubt yourself because maybe, it is true. Maybe you don’t have the skill to do the task. Maybe you still have a lot to learn before you can take over such responsibility.
Self-doubt is a signal that it’s time to check yourself before you take the next step, and if you think you are not ready yet, acknowledge the feeling, process it, and know where it is coming from.
2.Don’t Let Your Imperfections Stop You
When you feel self-doubt, assess the situation, and leap anyway.
It may be true that you don’t have all the skills necessary to do the job well, but maybe you have just enough skills, and you can learn all the rest in the process.
At least now, when you do your job, you will be more intentional in doing everything you can to learn while working.
You will aim to improve yourself, knowing that you are not perfect, and you are still a work in progress.
3.Know That It is Right Not to Be Perfect
Knowing you are imperfect but still taking a chance, will bring you farther in life than those who think they are perfect and don’t have an ounce of self-doubt in their system.
People who think they are perfect stops learning.
On the other hand, the people who know they are not perfect but takes a chance in life learn more and grow more in the process.
4.Keep a Journal
One of the best ways to process yourself is when you are writing. When you are not intentional in dealing with your thoughts and feelings, you will have a hard time overcoming self-doubt.
Keeping a journal will allow you to process your thoughts and feelings. It is also an opportunity to record your processing procedure for your future self to refer to when you experience self-doubt again.
Make journaling a habit. Your future self will thank you for it.
5.Know Your Strengths and Your Weaknesses
Self-doubt is only harmful when you don’t know yourself. When you know yourself, self-doubt could be beneficial because it will push you to be better.
But, when you don’t know yourself, self-doubt can stop you from doing things that you can do, had you known better.
Take the time to make a list of your strengths and your weaknesses, and refer back to it every time you doubt yourself.
6.Remind Yourself of Your successes in the Past
Another healthy way to overcome self-doubt is to remind yourself of your previous achievements. At some point in your life, you thought you couldn’t do something, but you did! And you did it well!
Look back on those days and remind yourself that you are not a loser.
A person only becomes a loser when he/she allows him/herself to become a victim of self-doubt.
7.Talk to Someone About Your Doubts
When your self-doubt is so extreme that you can’t think of anything good about yourself anymore, it is time to talk to someone about it.
Sometimes when we let our negative thoughts overstay in our minds, they become exaggerated and paralyze us with fear and anxiety.
When this occurs, it is time to talk to a friend about your troubling thoughts.
Hearing yourself talk about your fears out loud may help you realize how exaggerated your negativity has become.
Make sure the person that you speak to is someone that you trust and would not judge you.
8.Know That You Are Not the Only One Who Experience Self-doubt
Everybody in this world experiences self-doubt at some point in their lives.
Even successful people experienced self-doubt, but they were able to handle their doubts well.
It will be helpful if you read or listen to stories of successful people and be motivated by their experiences.
Knowing their journey will make you realize that you are not the only one in this battle of self-doubt and that there are people who are victorious despite their doubts and fears.
9.Stop Comparing Yourself with Others
Usually, the cause of self-doubt is our human tendency to compare ourselves to others. We see people on social media every day who look like they have it all figured out, and here we are, doubting ourselves more and more.
Always remember that each one is on his or her journey.
Life is not a competition. It is an individual journey, and we meet people along the way to whom we share our journey, not to compete with.
10.Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Learn to be gracious to yourself when things don’t work out the way you want them to. Often, self-doubt occurs after an unfortunate event, and you lose your motivation to keep going on.
Beating yourself up over things that you cannot change will only make things worse.
After assessing the situation, identify the things that you can’t change, accept it, and move on.
At the end of the day, you will have to live with yourself, so don’t hate yourself. Learn to love, nurture, and forgive yourself.
Self-doubt could be healthy if you learn how to face it without letting it bring you down. When you experience self-doubt, make use of it to your advantage. Acknowledge the feeling, process it, learn from it, and plan the next course of action without comparing yourself to others.
Overcoming self-doubt is all about the way you approach your negative thoughts and feelings. If you let self-doubt consume you, that will be the only time that you truly become a loser.
