When you have too much self-doubt, you don't take any risks and stay in a comfort zone. You become stagnant and even more afraid of failure. When you're afraid of failure, you won't try new things or try hard at anything. This will result in you stagnating and eventually giving up on life altogether.
The other side of this coin is having too little self-doubt. If you have too little self-doubt, you'll be afraid to take chances and will settle for less, than perfect results. You have no doubts about your abilities or anything else for that matter. This can result in your wasting life not living life to the fullest.
The best way to deal with self-doubt is to face it head on and not run from it. Think about something you're good at, something you're great at. Think about something you're not so great at. Think about a difficult situation you were in, where you faced some adversity. What would you do? Would you be upset about the situation, or would you be frustrated?
Frustration is a normal part of life, but being upset about something you can't change, is a waste of time and it actually makes the situation worse. If you're upset about something, then you're giving power to the situation to get you more upset. How do you react? Do you give in and let the situation defeat you or do you take control and change the situation to your benefit?
Self-Doubt is like a monster, that lives in your head. It is there to keep you from taking risks or being satisfied with the way things are. You should stay alert and aware so you can recognize the self-doubt monster when it comes to walk off of stage and face you. Once you recognize it, you need to ask yourself this question:
"Am I going to allow this monster to rob me of the chance to do something new, or am I going to take control and use this to my benefit?"
You get to choose.
Who Is At Risk For Self-Doubt?
Just about everyone to some degree, but those who are at the highest risk for self-doubt are introverts. Introverts tend to have a lower opinion of themselves, than extroverts do. This is probably due to the fact, that extroverts have a reputation for always thinking they're above others. Extroverts tend to talk themselves up and think of themselves as amazing and special, but introverts tend to think of themselves as average or even below average.
The internalized criticism, that introverts receive from their own minds is even greater, than what other people think of them. Those that struggle with self-doubt will often times stay quiet or not express themselves at all. They won't pursue opportunities, because they're convinced, that they won't be good enough or they won't be accepted. This leaves them stuck in a comfort zone or even a worse place.
Even if a person does manage to overcome their internal struggles, they'll still have to deal with the opinions of others. Everyone has an extrovert or two, who will try to tear them down to build themselves up. A small criticism by an extrovert can turn into a major one by an introvert. Both introverts and extroverts can experience self-doubt, but it tends to be more prominent in introverts.
How To Address And Overcome Self-Doubt
It's very important to address self-doubt in order to overcome it. Let's look at some suggestions:
Realize That Self-Doubt Is Actually A Good Thing
As already mentioned, introverts have a tendency to doubt themselves. This means they're the ones, who will take risks others won't or won't consider. An important thing to realize is that self-doubt means you're thinking for yourself. It means you're not just going along with the crowd. It means you're keeping an open mind to new possibilities. This can be scary to some, but it's a good thing.
Remind Yourself Why You Are Doing Certain Things
As weird as this may seem, it's very helpful to look at the situation you're in and remind yourself why you're doing it.
"I am doing this, because I want to be a happy person."
"I am doing this, because I want to make the world around me a better place."
"I am doing this, because I want to help people."
Whatever your reason, remind yourself of it often. It is a lot easier to do, than you think it is.
Take Breaks From Your Troubling Thoughts As Often As Possible
Self-doubt can be draining. It's important to take breaks from it, otherwise it can consume your mind. Even if you're proud of yourself for overcoming a difficult situation, it's still a good idea to take a break. Go for a jog, play your favorite video game, or just watch some funny cat videos on YouTube. Anything to take your mind off your thoughts for a little while.
Talk To Someone About Your Self-Doubt
Lack of confidence can be a very lonely place. It's even lonelier when you're surrounded by people, who won't or can't help. Find someone, who you can unburden your troubles to. Your best friends could very well be your mom or dad. They're usually there for you, if you let them know how you really feel. Talk to them.
Your priest, pastor, or minister would be a good person to talk to. They tend to be there for you during troubling times in your life.
Find A Self-Help Book Or Seek Out Online Communities
Sometimes, the problem isn't your self-doubt. The problem might be something else. For example, maybe you're not good with people, or you're just not meant to work a nine to five job. Maybe you have social anxiety or you've got some sort of condition, that's making it difficult for you to do the job you have right now.
Self-help books and online communities can be a big help in these kinds of situations. Maybe you just need to take a step back and reassess, what you're really looking for in life. There are many ways to overcome self-doubt. The most important thing is to find something that works for you. Try to identify what your weaknesses are and try to compensate for them.
Sticking to a routine is important, when it comes to overcoming self-doubt. Rushing around from one activity to the next can throw you off balance. Patience will help you overcome self-doubt. Start off by worrying about the small things. Once you've gotten a handle on those, you can move on to the bigger things. It may take a while, but with enough effort you will overcome self-doubt.
How To Reinforce Positive Thoughts
You can't just think positively all the time. You've got to be able to put those positive thoughts into action. This is the tricky part. Positive thinking without positive action is meaningless. Thinking you're going to win the lottery, but never buying a ticket is pointless. You might as well be thinking negatively, since you're not going to do anything about it. You need to take positive action to reinforce your thoughts.
You need to find something you like to do, that you can keep doing even if you don't have much money. Something you enjoy doing, that doesn't require a lot of money. Maybe it's dancing, reading or writing. Whatever it is, you need to enjoy it. If you don't enjoy what you're doing, you're not going to keep at it long. This could be a chore, but it needs to be something you look forward to.
Break up your tasks for the day into a number of small tasks, that you can do one after another. It's easier to keep focused on a series of short tasks, rather than one large task. Once you start on a task, keep at it until it's done. If something looks too difficult, you might want to try to turn it into a joke or a song to lighten the mood a bit. If something is too hard, you might want to set it aside for later.
After you've completed your tasks for the day, write down how you did. Did you accomplish everything you wanted? Did you fall behind? If you fell behind, was it because you got distracted or did something else come up? How was your day good or bad? Keep track of those things. You need those numbers in order to continue to reinforce your positive thoughts.
Final Thoughts
In today's world, we're constantly being told to worry, be stressed and be anxious. Worrying is good and can help you in a number of ways, but when worrying begins to consume your life, that's when it becomes a problem. You need to be able to distinguish between the appropriate worry and the excessive worry. You also need to be able to recognize, when you're just supposed to be staying positive.
If you keep these things in mind, you should be able to overcome the self-doubt, that's made trying to pursue a regular job a bit difficult. Think positively and keep a routine, eventually you'll overcome it all. You will become the person you're supposed to be.
Self-doubt can be very crippling. I've had instances where I get excited in the beginning of a project but then doubt starts creeping in and I end up abandoning what I started. I'm saving this article as a reminder to just push through.