So you have some self doubt about you! You’re normal! Sorry. Not really much unique about having self doubt, but it is unique to you and can feel pretty gut wrenching awful sometimes! Yup! And the only way to get over it is doing those gut wrenching awful feeling things over and over until the feeling goes away, or it diminishes enough so that you can do the thing you want to do. Finding the courage to do those things can be daunting at the best of times. In a previous post I talked about the things that Self doubt interferes with, here is a list of things that I use that may help you start minimizing some of your self doubt.
1. The easiest and perhaps the most invigorating thing to do ( for me) is exercise and get those endorphins going!! I go for a walk ( not a stroll), do an aerobic workout, something intense enough that I push through a point of not wanting to in the exercise or movement.
2. The all empowering feel good appreciation and gratitude. If it’s a self doubt issue pick out one thing that I love about myself and appreciate that. Do your best to be sincere with the gratitude ( sarcasm won’t work well). Even if it is a little almost unnoticeable thing ( many of us can be pretty tough on ourselves to find good). For example I am a pretty intense person. If I am going to do something I want to do it well and without a doubt that can be a pretty limiting characteristic. But it has it’s good points too. If I do something well the first time I don’t have to go back and repeat it.
3. Focus on all the great things in life that are going on. For some of us that may seem a small list. But if you really take the time and relish in that which is good, you will find. It may be the challenge that you are thinking is such a bad thing, well change your thinking, what is good about it? Find something. Sometimes it may take some quiet time with yourself to find what you need. And perhaps that time with yourself is exactly what you did need. Taking the time to see the positive no matter what!
4. Just be super nice to yourself, and mean it. And feel good about it. Just say nice things, you may feel silly at first, but you need to do it. You have heard negative stuff for so long it is time you turned into the self nice fairy god mother!!
5. Do the above 4 items over and over and over again. Repetition to retrain the thinking that has been ingrained as it is. It you keep doing the same thing over and over again you just aren’t going to eliminate self doubt, Unless what you are doing over and over again is good stuff and NOT paying any attention to the old thoughts in there.
So that is a simple list of 5 things you can start working on to get rid of your self doubt. It is a practice that may take a while. Depends on how good you feel about it. If you start now, to eliminate your doubt it won’t disappear overnight, but you can start changing your doubts. It is possible! Our adult brain can be “reprogrammed” and therefore it is really exciting to know that eliminating self doubt is possible. Our brains aren’t etched in stone and what we think isn’t permanent. ( although it may feel that way sometimes!). We aren’t hardwired for staying as is, but working to change may take some effort. How are you doing with changing your self doubt?
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Holly~
I agree with you! As we follow your 5 steps we will be more confident. I am amazed that as we start speaking what we want to believe, we will actually believe it! Our confidence will improve! And we really will be happier people!
Linda G. Cox recently posted..Generation Y
And it feels so good to feel confident and leave those self doubts behind!! Thanks Linda.
Holly,
After just publishing a post that I felt less than secure about, I came to your timely article. Knowing and employing the 5 steps are two different things. I needed your reminder right at this moment. Why is it that the simple things are so easy to forget?
Off to exercise… I appreciaate you!
Darlene Davis recently posted..Branding You- Inc
Is it that the simple things are so easy to forget!! Or is it a new way of thinking that we were never taught or shown? Old habits are hard to break to.. so just keep on reminding and being reminded will make it easier. I can bet that you will be more conscious of this now,
as you and your mind see this more and more it will become a habit that works better for you. I look forward to hearing more from you as we journey together eliminating those self doubts!
Hi Holly,
great post, it’s so important that we eliminate our self doubt, because if we don’t learn this, we are blocking our own progress, success and happiness. Thanks for your great suggestions on how to combat or avoid these self limiting beliefs and thoughts.
In Health n Harmony
Toni
Toni King recently posted..How To Manifest Your Dreams And Goals Using EFT
HI Toni,
Your welcome. Thanks for leaving a comment. Eliminating self doubt definitely blocks our progress, success and happiness. I couldn’t agree more. It is a work in progress.
Hi Holly
Not sure it this post is a duplicate or not as something happened funny with the last one. Great to see your blog coming together. This list is quite useful, I am finding as I get older that I have more self doubts instead of less, interesting why that might be. Seems life goes on and as I enter my 50′s I still think I am 20 but the old body doesn’t agree.
Belinda
Hi Belinda,
I’m with you on the self doubts becoming more as I get older, but I think it is because I am more aware of them. Before it wouldn’t even be a question I would just do whatever and not know why I did or didn’t do the thing. Now I hear my self doubts or feel the feeling that would indicate the self doubt. Keep on thinking that you are 20, use your body and move, move, move so that you can feed your muscles and your brain all that will keep you youthful. Thanks for stopping by Belinda. Your last post was not duplicate.
Hi Holly~
This is a great list for overcoming self-doubt. I am a big fan of exercise to move my energy ~ I ALWAYS feel better after a good workout. I’d also add to this list Meditation and Affirmations. Those 2 tools have made a significant impact on my ability to move through limiting beliefs and fears. And I have to keep working at them! I always keep in mind that the hardest step is the first one. After that, with repetition, as you said, everything gets easier and less intense. Thanks for sharing these great tips!
Beth Allen recently posted..Superfoods- Fuel of Today’s Superheroes!
Your are welcome, Beth,
You said it! And I have to encourage all, whatever works! We have to build new “routes” of transmitting info in our brains to keep processing new things. That has to be done by repetition. Affirmations and meditation can work wonders. Thanks for your comments.
I like you Holly! Great sense of humor mingled with a mind for wisdom…my fav combo. I will be adding you to my RSS feeds. Thanks, Kim
Kim Jensen recently posted..Deciding- Kickin’ the ‘Buts’
Awesome Kim. Humor and wisdom… great combo! I look forward to getting to know you better…
Great article, I fully agree with you. You’re right, every sane person has doubts sometime, you know? It’s quite human to be in doubt sometimes. Negativity is not arsenic.