5 Ways to Turn Self-Doubt into Self-Confidence

Do you struggle with self-doubt? You may find yourself frequently questioning, "Did I make the right decision?" Perhaps you thought you didn't look your best on that date, didn't send the appropriate text message, or didn't do well in that important job interview.

What’s so bad about self-doubt is that the more you doubt yourself, the more likely your fears are going to turn into reality.

However, there are several positive outcomes if you make an effort to have greater self-confidence. You enhance your decision-making skills when you have self-confidence. Also, people tend to be drawn to you, you are more productive, and you increase your chances of leading the life you desire.

Five Ways to Turn Doubt into Confidence

Here are five simple ways to overcome internal criticism and increase your self-confidence:

1. Examine the Causes of Your Self- Doubt

Try to remember past events that caused you to feel insecure. Self-doubt can arise when confronted with a task that you feel incapable of accomplishing.

Do you think that you underestimate yourself? You could unintentionally keep thinking the same negative thoughts that hold you back from progressing. Do you say things to yourself like, "I won't be good enough" or "I don't think I can do it"? If so, repeating these things can prevent you from engaging in new, valuable experiences. Therefore, the next time you find yourself doubting, stop. You need to get rid of negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.

Look on the bright side and don't let your fears dominate you. You've failed in the past, so what? Now that you realize why you failed, you are actually in a better place. Learn to live in the moment and look at things from a more positive perspective.

If you are used to negative self-talk, it’s time to break the habit. Whenever you self-doubt, change your track of thoughts. You’re good enough. Learn to praise yourself, and most of all, learn to be kinder to yourself.

2. Forgive Yourself When You Feel Insecure

If you make a mistake, try not to be too hard on yourself or chastise yourself; this will only make you feel worse. To make mistakes is to be human, not to be wicked or unintelligent.

No one is perfect; accept your mistakes and give everything you do your all. When faced with a difficult challenge, view it as an opportunity to learn something completely new and develop into a better person than you currently are.

3. Create a List of Self-Doubts and Positive Affirmations

List all of your current self-doubts in the left column and the positive affirmations that disprove your self-doubts in the right column.

In case your manager assigns you a new task and you instantly feel unqualified to finish it, take a piece of paper and write something like, "I'm not skilled enough to complete this task" in the left column. In the right column, write, "My manager assigned me this task because I am a quick learner, and he knows he can count on me to finish it."

Continue to list positive affirmations in the right column and review your talents and good qualities until you have a much longer list of positives than negatives.

4. Write a Message to Motivate Yourself

Write about your positive qualities, your successes over adversity, and your overall accomplishments. If at all possible, think of a particular instance where you faced self-doubt but overcame it. It's beneficial to keep such things in mind.

Write as if you are writing to a friend who needs encouragement; writing messages is a powerful tool for overcoming insecurities. You'll be smiling and feeling much better when you finish writing this encouraging letter to yourself.

Keep the notes you write to yourself, file them, and refer to them frequently, particularly when you sense self-doubt beginning to surface.

5. Create a Gratitude Folder

All you have to do is keep all the nice things people have said to you in a gratitude folder. When you're doubting yourself, it's easy to get into a negative mindset and forget all the kind things people have said to appreciate you when you've helped them or made them feel better in some way.

Print out thank-you emails, notes, and cards from people who appreciate you. When you start doubting yourself, take out the gratitude folder and read what others have said about you.

When you’re always doubting yourself, you’re robbing yourself of the chance to not just be successful but to be happy in life. It’s quite normal to have self-doubts once in a while, but you need to have the ability to silence your inner critic and move on.

In Conclusion

Apply these strategies regularly, and you will be able to reduce self-doubt. The only way to have new positive experiences is to increase your self-confidence.