We’ve all had self doubt at times, but not everyone handles it the same. It’s hard to overcome but can be done by anyone who knows the steps to take. Follow these tips to stop letting your insecurities hold you back.
1. Tell yourself to stop it.
Whenever you feel that negative self talk emerge in your mind, be quick to put it to a halt. Tell yourself that it’s all in your head and whatever your negative thoughts are, verbally tell yourself the opposite. Doing this can disrupt your thought pattern and stop your self doubting thoughts from spinning out of control.
2. Seek optimism.
Spend half an hour listening to a motivational message on youtube, read a positive book, or listen to an uplifting podcast. This quick session can greatly alter your feelings of self doubt into constructive thought about your challenges. After all, positivity is contagious.
3. Don’t get stuck in the comparison trap.
One major cause of self doubt is playing the comparison game. If you compare yourself to others, you’ll always be disappointed. A better way to go about comparison is to compare yourself to yourself. How is your life better this year than last year? How have you improved as an individual over the last 5 years?
4. Sharpen your skills.
Nothing improves self confidence like becoming really good at something. For instance, if you have doubts about your presentation skills, practice in a mirror or in front of friends until you no longer have doubts. When the time comes to give a presentation, you’ll feel confident, competent, and relaxed about it.
5. See any setbacks as temporary.
If you’ve run into a setback, you may start to see things through a darker lens. Looking at your circumstances in a negative light can halt you from taking action to make changes. Instead of looking at your setbacks as failures, reframe them as learning opportunities. Ask yourself what you’ve learned and use that mistake or failure to your advantage to move forward in a smarter way.
Struggling with self doubt? Talk to someone about it.
When you keep your thoughts on the inside they can become distorted, exaggerated and not very much in line with reality or reasonable expectations. This is very much true when it comes to self-doubting thoughts. By talking about your thoughts, you can gain understand and guidance on how to change them. Click here to talk to a professional.
