No matter who you are or where you are in life, we’ve all doubted ourselves at some point. Self-doubt is so powerful that it can bleed into many areas of your life without you even realizing it. By doubting yourself, you’re either telling yourself that you don’t feel good enough, smart enough, or even brave enough. As you can see, self-doubt comes in many forms.
Self-doubt is so powerful that it could be the biggest obstacle you’re currently facing and not even realizing it.
As much as you think you’re hiding your self-doubts, you’re actually wearing them everyday on your sleeve. Below are some ways to remove these self-doubts or at least alleviate them.
1. Self-awareness is key.
Doubting ourselves is sometimes so powerful that we don’t even realize we’re doing it. It’s become such a habit that’s formed in our heads, which is why it makes it so difficult to overcome. That’s why it’s important to be aware of your self-doubts. Take some time to really think about what makes you doubt yourself and why. Understanding yourself is the most powerful way to overcome the feeling of self-doubt, or at least acknowledging it.
2. Identify the type of self-doubt.
Take some time to reflect. Ask yourself, “what is my self-doubt?” Challenge yourself to answer honestly. As mentioned, some forms of self-doubt consist of feeling not good enough or not smart enough. Identify the feeling you get that keeps you from doing what you love or blocks you from pursuing what you’re passionate about. Think of it as negative energy that needs to be released — Identify that negative energy so you can find ways to overcome that feeling.
3. Understand what triggers you.
Self-doubt is sneaky. It can happen without us realizing it, so we must understand what’s triggering our self-doubting behavior. I realized I had a fear of failing and not being good enough. For example, everytime I wanted to expand my business, I found ways to talk myself out of it. As I started talking myself out of growing my business, I realized and understood that THAT negative self-talk was my trigger. Try to understand your triggers and challenge yourself to break that negative feeling and self-talk that’s coming from your doubts.
4. Reframe your triggers.
When you’ve been triggered, you’re immediately thrown into a negative headspace or are about to be in one. Quickly identify that trigger and find other interpretations of what that feeling and situation is. Use positive self-talk as a way to reframe the negative triggers. For example, I would worry that writing these articles made me sound too opinionated. I reframed this negative thought to “my articles could help people see other perspectives.”
5. Know that you’re NOT alone.
Something we don’t realize is that we are not alone when feeling doubtful. I understand that it’s called “self-doubt”, but there are other people who feel that same exact type of doubt that you’re experiencing. The person at the coffee shop to your left could have the same self-doubts as you, but you may not know that. We are not alone in having these feelings — which is why I want to say that these are completely normal feelings to have. Just know that you can overcome the feeling when it’s taking you to a negative place.
6. Find or remember your motivation.
Self-doubt kicks in when we are either identifying ways to get towards a goal or are almost near completing one. When your self-doubt takes over, it can put you in this unmotivated place that can be hard to get out of. What you can do is remember the purpose of your goal and what inspired you to do it. This will encourage your motivation and get you one step closer toward achieving your goal.
7. Know your value.
Our self-doubts make us forget what we bring to the table. Next time your self-doubt decides to show up, remember everything you’ve done that’s gotten you to where you are now. Know that you have something unique to offer that others don’t. Each of us have our own value and its important to know what that value is. You have ownership of your value so make sure that you show yourself and others what makes you unique and valuable.
8. Seek a coach.
Talk to someone like a coach that will help you change your perspective. Changing your perspective is one of the best ways to better understand our self-doubts, feelings, and environment. A coach is a great resource that will help us identify those blind spots that we sometimes aren’t able to see ourselves.
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Thanks for reading!
As a coach, one of my strenghts is addressing self-doubts and helping my clients overcome them. If you ever want to have a conversation about what’s keeping you from growing or doing what you love, don’t hesitate to reach out! — Alex