We all have moments of doubt. It's normal to get anxious about an upcoming exam, or to wonder if we'll be able to handle a difficult project at work. But when those feelings of self-doubt become crippling, they can prevent us from taking the actions that are necessary for our success and happiness.
To trust yourself, you must first conquer your inner critic and negative self talk
To trust yourself, you must first conquer your inner critic and negative self talk.
Self-doubt is a negative thought that can be overcome. It is an indicator of low self-esteem, lack of confidence and trust in your abilities and judgment.
Self-doubt affects our ability to trust ourselves deeply
Self-doubt is like a fly on the wall of your mind, constantly buzzing around and distracting you from what's in front of you. It makes you question your abilities, second guess decisions and feel like you don't deserve to be successful or happy.
When we experience self-doubt it can feel like our worst fears have been confirmed: "I knew this would happen!" or "I knew I couldn't do it!" These negative thoughts can lead us into a downward spiral where we start believing them as truth--which further reinforces those negative beliefs about ourselves. It's easy for these thoughts to become ingrained because they're so familiar; after all, if something has been going wrong since childhood then why wouldn't we think it will continue?
The insidious nature of self-doubt makes it even harder to overcome
The insidious nature of self-doubt makes it even harder to overcome. The more you doubt yourself, the more you will doubt yourself. And if you're already doubting your abilities and judgment, then it is much less likely that you will trust yourself in the future.
Self-doubt is not a one-time thing: it's an ongoing process that can be broken down into three stages: 1) Self-evaluation 2) Rejection 3) Acceptance (or lack thereof).
Trusting yourself means believing in your own abilities and judgment
When you trust yourself, you believe in your own abilities and judgment. You know that even if you are wrong, it will all work out. You know that even if others don't agree with you or think what you are doing is stupid or risky, it doesn't matter because their opinion doesn't change the truth of things. And when there's something holding back from taking action or making changes in life (like fear), self-trust allows us to act despite our worries instead of letting them paralyze us into inaction.
You are only hurting yourself when you doubt yourself.
You are only hurting yourself when you doubt yourself. It's hard to trust yourself when you are constantly questioning your own choices and abilities, which is a sign of low self-esteem. When we doubt ourselves, it makes us feel like we have no control over our lives or what happens to us in general. We become more prone to making bad decisions because we don't think that our decisions matter anyway. This can lead to making poor choices in relationships and other areas of life like schoolwork or career paths.
Doubting ourselves creates negative thoughts about ourselves that feed into an overall negative outlook on life as a whole - resulting in less motivation for success!
The most important thing is to know that you can overcome self-doubt. It may take some time and effort, but with practice and persistence you will be able to trust yourself more.
