The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide. Feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or depressed might trigger your self-doubts to speak louder than ever before. Self-doubt can impact your ability to continue accomplishing your goals.
Don’t let your doubts impact your ability to succeed. Instead, read on for 10 tips for overcoming self-doubt.
With these tips, you can shut down negative self-talk, boost your self-confidence, and take on anything life throws your way. Read on to learn more!
1. Remember Your Achievements
The next time self-doubts start creeping in, try to focus on your previous achievements.
We’re all human. Though we each experience ups and downs, it’s sometimes eager to focus on the negatives. Taking a moment to focus on your accomplishments can help you recognize how far you’ve come.
Perhaps you struggled along the way when achieving those goals, too. Remind yourself that it took time and persistence. You can mitigate your self-doubt, ignore your fear of failure, and begin achieving more than you thought possible.
2. Remain Mindful
Chances are, you are your own worst critic. When your critic starts speaking up, ask yourself, “Would I speak to a friend that way?”
Chances are, the answer is no.
Recognize when you’re being harsh on yourself. Practice the same kindness and compassion on yourself that you reserve for others.
Try to avoid making excuses, too.
Self-doubt allows us to rationalize situations based on our emotions. We make excuses for ourselves and let self-doubt stop us from accomplishing goals.
Remain mindful of the excuses you’re making for yourself. Don’t listen to the reasons you can’t, shouldn’t, or won’t do something. Stop allowing your excuses to work as mental barriers to impede your progress.
Instead, become more aware of the excuses you’re making. Work beyond them to start accomplishing your goals.
3. Practice Self-Compassion
Try to spend a little time each day practicing self-compassion.
Forgive yourself for your shortcomings or mistakes. Identify your past mistakes to avoid developing a fear of failure, too.
Remain kind to yourself, regardless of what happens. Otherwise, your self-doubts could grow.
4. Avoid Comparisons
Comparing yourself to others could feed your self-doubts.
Not everyone accomplished the same goals at the same speed. Everyone has their own unique journey. Remind yourself of that the next time you think someone else had an easy time accomplishing their goals.
Focus on your own path and start accomplishing your goals instead.
5. Build a Support System
Your support system can work as your cheerleaders, even when self-doubt is impeding your progress. The next time self-doubts stop you, turn toward friends and family members. They’ll remind you of how talented you are, even if you can’t see it at the moment.
6. Define Values
Take the time to assess your values. What matters most to you in life?
For example, you might recognize you’re a good friend, patient, or kind to strangers. Perhaps you’re contributing to the world in some way.
Recognize your values to learn to push away the fear of criticism from others.
7. Accept Your Strengths
As you begin overcoming self-doubt, it also helps to find validation from within.
You don’t need to find assurance from others that you’re doing a good job, even on the most difficult of tasks. Instead, recognize how much you’ve worked. Recognizing and accepting your strengths can help with improving confidence.
8. Don’t Discuss Every Plan
You don’t have to tell the world about every plan or project you’re working on. Instead, try to remain zip-lipped about your impending goals.
Telling someone about your goals and allowing them to acknowledge your plans might make you less likely to do the work. You could impede your own progress as a result.
This occurs when our brains mistake talking with actually doing the work. We receive instant gratification by discussing our plans. The social acknowledgment tricks our brains into believing we’ve already accomplished our goals.
If you want to truly start accomplishing your goals this year, work with the door shut. Otherwise, the satisfaction you experience after telling someone about your goals can diminish your motivation. Get the work done.
Then, show off your accomplishments. Achieving your goals and gaining true gratification can help you overcome self-doubt. You can see your ability to accomplish anything you work toward.
9. Start Journaling
You can also start identifying your negative behaviors and doubts by journaling daily. Journaling can work as a therapeutic exercise when your doubts are weighing you down.
Schedule time to write in your journal every day. Write down your thoughts and doubts to release them from your mind.
Writing down your thoughts will help you see they’re not as detrimental as you previously thought they were. You can identify your doubts to find a way to overcome them.
10. Find Help
You don’t have to start overcoming self-doubt on your own. Instead, consider working with a mental health professional this year. They can help you identify the root reasons behind your self-doubts.
Understanding what’s causing your self-doubts can help you identify more effective ways to move beyond them.
For example, a mental health professional might recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). It’s helped patience with:
- Anxiety disorders
- Anger control problems
- General stress
- Personality disorders
- Depression
- Substance abuse disorder
Changing your perception of the world, your beliefs, and yourself could change problematic behaviors like negative self-talk and doubting yourself.
Working with a mental health professional can help you develop tools that can help you overcome self-doubt in your daily life.
You can learn how to challenge your problematic ways of thinking to improve your quality of life, mood, and well-being.
You can learn more about helpful, effective therapy services here.
Deny Your Doubts: 10 Effective Tips for Overcoming Self-Doubt
Don’t let your self-doubts impact your ability to succeed this year. Instead, use these 10 tips and start overcoming self-doubt. Remain patient and compassionate with yourself as you begin improving your confidence, too.
Remember, you don’t have to work through this process alone. Help is only a call away.
Contact me today to get started.
