Why Do I Still Have Self-Doubt?
Despite being a Confidence Coach and having good self-esteem, I still regularly hear the voice of self-doubt. For me this occurs most often when I’m being creative or pushing myself out of my comfort zone.
I could simply be writing a new blog and hear my inner critic with “what if I can’t create something new?” or “what if people don’t like it?” I find the voice is even louder if I’m pushing the boundaries of my confidence. Such as creating a new series of confidence coaching videos, which is my next venture. Then the doubts are at top volume “why would anyone want to watch you?” or “you’re going to look stupid”.
Self-doubt is that feeling of uncertainty about your ability to achieve a goal or action. It affects us all at some point, but I have found some simple ways to turn down the voice’s volume, even if I can’t silence it.
- Recognise and label it. By acknowledging that your self-doubt exists, recognising and giving it a label you reduce it’s power.
- Have you had it before? I find the doubts often come up in similar situations with similar words. If so I think back to previous times, how I overcame the doubts and what the outcome was.
- Distract yourself. If the thoughts persist I take a break from what I’m doing and focus on a different task. This stops me engaging with the thoughts and going into a negative spiral.
- Take a first small step. When I focus on one small step towards my goal rather than the whole overwhelming task, it builds my confidence and quietens any self-doubt.
- Talk to someone. By connecting with other people it gives me the reassurance that I’m not the only person with self-doubts. This builds my courage to face my doubts and keep going.
Have you found other ways to overcome self-doubt. Please let me know in the comment box below.
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Why Do I Still Have Self-Doubt?