Why You Shouldn’t Lose Doubt on Yourself

Amy Taylor April 19, 2016

How many times have you doubted yourself? How many times did you think you are not capable of doing something? We all tend to doubt ourselves sometimes, especially when it comes to things that we are unfamiliar of - those that are not within our comfort zone.

But self-doubt is one of the major obstacles that hinder us from fulfilling our goals in life. It prevents us from doing better, trying out new things, and taking new challenges. In short, it hinders growth.
Self-doubt can harm you emotionally. In what ways?

It makes you less creative.

Creativity is one of the greatest inner resources we can tap into in the most stressful and confusing situations. It helps us create amazing things, resolve the most complex problems, and find our way out from unfavourable circumstances. But self-doubt weakens your ability to think creatively. It makes you question the rationality behind your ideas, preventing you from being bold enough to share them or make them come true. Self-doubt limits your thoughts into what were already proven and dismiss new theories and ideas. Without enough creativity, you would find it hard to deal with tricky situations in life.

It makes you less productive.

Self-doubt also fuels procrastination. It may seem harmless at first. But as you continue procrastinating and your tasks begin to pile up, you get much farther from getting anything done. When people are hesitant on something, they would find an excuse to do it at a later time until they totally miss out on the opportunity.

It fuels self-pity.

There’s no wonder that self-doubt fuels self-pity. When you are full of self-doubt, you become less capable of achieving your goals. Thus, you feel bad about yourself. You lose confidence and you start to think that you are not worthy. Self-doubt brings fear of failure, of being out of control, and of not being good enough.

If you are doubting yourself at this point in your life, it’s okay. The good news is that you can do something to fight it and bring back the faith you have towards yourself. Here are some tips that might work for you:

Nurture yourself.

During stressful moments, it is easy to get absorbed by self-doubt and forget about taking care of your needs. Make sure you have enough time for rest and play. The more you feel stressed, the more you would doubt yourself in doing things. You need to keep the balance in every aspect of your life. When you are feeling good, negative emotions like self-doubt is easier to resist.

Be present.

You have to make an effort to stay grounded so you would not be carried away by your self-doubt. Practising mindfulness is one of the greatest mental techniques you can use to effectively deal with negative feelings.

Reach out and connect with others.

As much as you need to help yourself, you also need support from other people. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the people you trust. Ask if you need help. Most problems are better and quickly solved when you get help from the right people. Undergoing therapy may also be a good option especially if your self-doubt seems to get worse. Remember that anywhere you turn to, there’s always someone who can help you go through life’s difficulties.