I can't even begin to tell you how many moments self-doubt has crippled me throughout my life. It's the most frustrating little voice of negativity that has always crept back into my world - even when I thought I've exiled it out for good. My discovery? It's always going to be there hiding in the shadows. As discouraging as it was to make that realization, it's even more discouraging if I choose to do nothing about it. Where does staying frozen, due to my insecurities, get me? Absolutely nowhere. Even though I realize this, somehow this fear still finds a way to stop me in my tracks (this can also be strongly correlated with Impostor Syndrome - something I've talked about on my blog before). If you have struggled with self-doubt before, below I have listed five ways in which you can manage it - these are tips that have most definitely helped me in my own life.
1) PRACTICE SELF-AWARENESS
Reflecting on why you're doubting yourself so much is key in figuring out how you can overcome this barrier in your life. It's of great importance to pin point exactly what you need to change, and how you're going to do it - making a plan is your first step in fighting your battle with self-doubt.
2) DISTRACT YOURSELF FROM NEGATIVITY Although it's crucial to be self-aware and reflect, you shouldn't dwell or negatively dissect things (something I'm 100% guilty of doing). If you find yourself doing so, take the control back and distract yourself with other activities that bring positivity to your mind. Staying distracted is the best way to distance yourself from those overwhelming negative thoughts.
3) DON'T LOOK TO OTHERS FOR VALIDATION
Constantly seeking the validation of others weakens the faith you have in yourself; you don't always need validation from others to feel correct, or of worth - trust in yourself and of your core values. Also don't tell people about your plans and/or goals if you think it will add pressure to your success rate - most of the time doing so increases the percentage of failure (in turn making one doubt themselves even more).
4) DON'T DEFINE YOURSELF BY YOUR MISTAKES Don't bully yourself into thinking that you're a failure because you've made mistakes. Take these failures as a learning experience and be compassionate in understanding that you are only human. There have been so many times where I didn't take a chance with pursuing something because I was terrified of failing - in the end I never found out what the outcome would've been.
5) SEEK ADVICE AND SUPPORT FROM OTHERS
Instead of looking to others for validation, look to them for advice on how they've overcome their own fears and self-doubt. Once you hear about their experiences you don't feel so alone. Finding out more about how others handle things in life helps me tremendously; every day we are all learning something new, so why not help each other out in the process?
Have you ever felt this way before?
What are some routes you took to deal with it?
Will you try any of these 5 steps to see if it helps?
xx Ash