No matter how confident or secure you seem, there will always be the tendency to struggle with self doubt. When this happens, it isn’t your own fault, but it comes from your fears and insecurities. You could have achieved your definition of success, but you’ll still doubt if you deserved to get there in the first place.
Self-doubt happens to even the best of us and you shouldn’t beat yourself up when this happens. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t overcome it. In this article, we’ll be talking about 12 essential steps to overcome self-doubt.
What It Means To Struggle With Self Doubt
Struggling with self doubt means that you second guess every decision, even if you’re probably on the right path. You think you aren’t good enough or you’ll never amount to anything, and that’s what self doubt can do for your life.
It makes you believe in your insecurities and fears, even if it’s just your thoughts convincing you of lies to hold you back from achieving great things.
Self doubt means that no matter where you are in your life, you always doubt if you’ll ever feel good enough, successful enough, lovable enough, worthy enough, or even happy enough.
Common Causes of Self Doubt
- Insecurities and fear
- Past trauma and abuse
- Comparison
- Fear of failure or making mistakes
- Fear of never being good enough
- Lack of support in childhood
- Lack of a support system
- Anxiety and overthinking
12 Essential Steps to Overcome Self Doubt
1. Say stop
You have more control over your thoughts than you think. When you feel your negative thoughts start to inch their way into your mind, you can always put a stop and refuse to believe it. Self doubt is only powerful if you let it control you.
2. Let go of the past
If an event in your past is the reason behind why you can’t overcome your self doubt, then you need to let that go. Realize that you can’t change the past and the more you dwell on it, the longer you’re going to feel stuck. Your past is not and never was a reflection of your self-worth and capabilities.
3. Share your thoughts with someone
It’s easy to get stuck in your thoughts and dwell in them further, which is what helps you go into this spiral of self doubt and negativity. Release your thoughts by talking to someone you trust, possibly a friend or a romantic partner. By getting your thoughts out there, you can sometimes realize how irrational you were being.
4. Don’t compare yourself
Comparing yourself to others is the fastest way to doubt yourself, whether you’re aware of this or not. Whether it’s through social media or another form entirely, you shouldn’t compare yourself to others. Everyone has different progress and you should always bear this in mind. You have your distinct strengths and weaknesses, and the same goes for everyone else.
5. Keep a journal
When you keep a journal, you can write about the significant things you doubt about yourself. Writing things down can help you incorporate more gratitude in your life and shift your perspective. Instead of focusing on your weaknesses, you can instead focus on your strengths and the very best aspects of yourself.
6. Realize that people don’t care as much
We often think things like people are judging us or are talking about us behind their backs when this isn’t often accurate. People are so busy focusing on their own lives that they rarely notice the flaws and mistakes of others. In fact, most often than not, people are stuck in their heads a lot.
7. It’s not always personal
When someone says or does something offensive, it isn’t always directed toward you. They could be dealing with something else in their lives and they unintentionally lashed their anger or frustration out on you. You can’t always take everything personally or you’re going to lose your self-esteem, every time.
8. Be optimistic
If you tend to battle with self doubt, finding things to be optimistic about can greatly help you win this fight. Be optimistic about things like what you’re wearing today or how beautiful of a day it is. You’ll be surprised how sometimes a ray of positivity is all you need to believe in yourself.
9. Your feelings are temporary
If you think that self doubt is a feeling that will last, this isn’t the case. All feelings are temporary and the same concept applies to feeling like you won’t amount to anything.
10. Don’t fear failure
If you’re afraid of failing or making mistakes, realize that you only get to the top by failing a few times. Any successful person will tell you that failure is the only way you’ll succeed.
11. Go easy on yourself
You can’t overcome self doubt if you’re always extremely harsh on yourself. Go easy on yourself and remove the perfectionist in you that thinks that you’ll only be good enough if you’re flawless.
12. Celebrate the small things
Lastly, it’s not always about the big victories, but also about the small ones. You can’t see your worth if you aren’t proud of yourself for mundane accomplishments such as finishing a small task.
The Benefits of Overcoming Self Doubt
- You’re more confident and secure about who you are
- You know what you want and don’t want
- You know exactly how to achieve your goals
- You don’t ask for anyone else’s approval
- You’re a much happier individual
- You reach your best potential in life
Final Thoughts
I hope this article was able to shed insight into everything you needed to know on overcoming self doubt.
While not everyone has it easy on dealing with it, you always have control over whether or not you’re going to let self-doubt rule your life.
You hold the steering wheel over your life and in the end, you will always be worth more than the doubts, insecurities, and fears you have.
