Ways to stop doubting yourself

Many of us doubt ourselves from time to time when entering a new environment, starting work for the first time, having a week full of exams or experiencing many similar situations. We occupy our minds with negative thoughts such as, will I be able to overcome, will I succeed, what if I can't? Although these feelings and thoughts are considered normal and continue to be experienced by many people, they are not very helpful.

Although a certain level of self-criticism can be a source of motivation, living in constant self-doubt prevents a person from reaching their true potential and damages their self-confidence, self-belief and desire to do things. Therefore, instead of self-doubt, it is necessary to embrace the self, to strengthen self-love and self-compassion.

Self-doubt is basically experiencing feelings of uncertainty about one or more aspects of oneself. In other words, self-doubt is a lack of confidence about yourself and your abilities; it is a negative mindset that prevents you from succeeding and believing in yourself. This striking quote by Shakespeare describes self-doubt very well: "Our doubts are treacherous, and often cause us to lose good things that we might have gained, by being afraid to attempt them." In other words, doubt discourages us, blocks our achievements before we even try, and takes away from us what we could have achieved even if we could have achieved more.

There are many factors that can cause a person to doubt themselves. While it is important to learn to live without self-doubt, discovering the causes of self-doubt is also critical to resolving it. Among the reasons why people with self-doubt often have to deal with this negative emotion are the following:

Overbearing parents

Lack of self-compassion

Negative past experiences

Excessive self-criticism

Fear of failure

All of this can feed self-doubt and lead to self-destruction, self-sabotage and blocking potential successes. The challenge, then, is to release this feeling, that is, to replace self-doubt with confident self-communication.

If you feel that you are sometimes trapped by this negative emotion, doubt yourself and want to reach your true potential, here are some tips to help you embrace who you are:

Find your limiting beliefs. Your beliefs are your map on your life journey; they can take you to new places or keep you where you are. If you doubt yourself, your beliefs are not constructive but destructive, that is, limiting. Limiting beliefs stand between you and your achievements and prevent you from reaching them. Think about it, if thoughts like 'I can't do it even if I try, I have no chance, I couldn't do it before' are constantly in your mind, you should identify these limiting beliefs and change them. That way, instead of doubting yourself, you can start to trust that you really can do it.

Practice self-compassion Self-doubt means that you are holding yourself back and is often caused by the fear of making mistakes. But mistakes create great opportunities to improve your own abilities. That's why you need to give yourself permission to make mistakes, to trial and error. With self-compassion practices, you can make space for your mistakes, accept them, continue to learn and grow, and nourish yourself with affirmations.

Do not compare yourself with anyone. You may be tempted to compare yourself to a friend, a close family member, a colleague, a sister or even a celebrity. Unfortunately, most of us can't help but succumb to the toxic effect of comparing ourselves to others from time to time. However, everyone's life, encounters, experiences and characteristics are very, very different. Therefore, there is nothing to compare. Instead of comparing yourself to others, focus on yourself and you will be able to move forward on your own path.

Remember your past successes. Just as you can use your past mistakes as a tool to change, transform and improve, you can also use your past successes to silence your doubts about yourself. If you can't get anything out of just thinking about it, grab a pen and paper and start writing. Answer these questions one by one: what was the achievement that excited you the most, what challenges did you overcome before you achieved it, how did you keep going without losing motivation? You will see that your doubts will be replaced by determination and faith.