8 Meaningful Ways to Overcome Self-Doubt
By: Michael Reynoso
Tags: Self Improvement, People, Self Discovery, Mental Health, Self Doubt

8 Meaningful Ways to Overcome Self-Doubt

Stop selling yourself short and live on purpose

Photo by Taylor on Unsplash

We all know that self-doubt can be a troubling and persuasive thing that holds us back.

Self-doubt holds us back from seizing your opportunities, finding love, pursuing one’s passion, and creating everlasting relationships.

Sure, having self-doubt can help you recognize your limitations, but mostly, it holds you back in life.

So, how can you overcome self-doubt so that you can move forward in your life?

Let’s explore the 8 meaningful tips and habits to overcome self-doubt!

1. Say Stop

When your inner doubts (voices) comes up, be quick to say stop. Don’t let them spin out of control or tempt you to do anything bad. Instead, talk back to that doubtful voice and stand your ground.

In your mind, say or shout something like: “No, you are not going down that road again. You have come so far. Don’t give up now.”

By repeating this, you can disrupt unnecessary thoughts and stop that inner self-doubter from taking over your mind.

2. Look to the past and reflect on your memories

Be real with yourself and ask, how many times did I doubted myself or feared something would happen because of my self-doubt?

The answer for me, and probably for you too, is not very often at all. Self-doubts are most often just noises in your head that the mind may use to keep you from making changes. Self-doubts also keep you within your comfort zone, leaving you stuck in one place.

If you look to the past and see how well things have gone despite those self-doubts, it become easier to let go of them. Ignore those self-doubts and focus on positive outcomes.

Take action.

3. Talk to someone you know about your self-doubts

When you keep your inner thoughts inside the mind, 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.

So, let them out.

Talk to someone close to you about your self-doubts and have an open mind. By letting them out and saying them out loud can help you hear how exaggerated these thoughts have become.

You can even talk about those self-doubts with someone who supports you.

4. Remember: people don’t care about what you do or say

When you worry about what others may think or say about you, the self-doubt can quickly become stronger and get you stuck in the moment. When that happens remind yourself that the truth is that people don’t really care that much about what you do or not do.

People have their hands full with thinking about themselves, children, jobs and upcoming sports events while worrying about what people may think of them. For those who care about what people think of you, I say to you, forget about them.

Focus on your own journey and think only on positive things.

5. Be optimistic

Let someone else’s enthusiasm, motivation and optimism flow over you. Write down a short list of your self-doubts and take off unnecessary thoughts from your paper. By doing so, you are releasing the inner self-doubts and inviting in optimism in your life.

This will help you shift your self-doubts into optimism and into thinking constructively about your life’s challenges.

6. See a setback as a positive thing

When you experience a setback, you may start to see things through both a negative and dark lens. You might also see your current setback as something that will simply be your new normal.

This new normal can trap you in thinking that there’s no point in continuing to take action.

Remember: You are not a failure just because you failed in life. Setbacks happen to everyone who take chances. It is simply a part of living life fully. Sometimes things go well and sometimes they don’t.

So, don’t make a failure into this huge thing. Don’t let setbacks affect your own identity.

Ask yourself: what is one thing I can learn from this setback? Use the mistake or failure to your advantage to move forward.

7. Sharpen your skills

If you, for instance, often get self-doubts before a presentation in school or at work, sharpen your presentation skills. Practice speaking in front of a mirror or in front of loved ones. Eat healthy meals.

Practice breathing techniques. Work on your confidence level. Read a few books to help with your vocabulary and practice at home in front of a mirror or in front of a friend.

As a result, you will feel more confident, competent and relaxed in any situation.

8. Celebrate small steps and win big

When you have taken one small step forward, whether if it’s being promoted at a job, or passing a driver’s test, you win big. It may be a small one but it’s still a win.

So, celebrate.

Have a craving snack or a delicious favorite food for dinner. Spend some time on your favorite hobby, such as sketching, reading books, and playing sports. You can buy yourself something you’ve wanted for some time to help cheer you up.

By treating yourself will renew and recharge your motivation to win big in any obstacle you overcame in your life. Also, taking action will feel more exciting and fun. This will push self-doubts aside so that you can keep moving and get more small and bigger wins.

Conclusion

Overcoming self-doubts can be challenging but you can fight through it. Trying to plan every move you will make n your life towards a goal or dream can be draining, which leads to self-doubt. It usually doesn’t work that well anyway since the best laid-out plans often start to fall apart or when they are confronted with reality.

So, start your journey fresh.

Remember, be empowered by the new knowledge, experience and feedback you will get as you keep going on this path. Don’t allow self-doubts to creep in your mind.

Stop selling yourself short and live on purpose.