If you regularly find yourself doubting every decision you make, or even blaming yourself when something goes wrong, then it’s time to change your outlook!

Self-doubt is completely natural – think of it as the voice at the back of your mind, giving a helping hand where necessary. Though, you might be surprised to learn that it can help prevent us from making bad decisions. 

However, not all self-doubt and anxiety is good: too much can be detrimental to our health and success. So, let’s take a look and see what causes self-doubt and especially at instances when it can become unhealthy.

What is healthy self-doubt?

Healthy self-doubt is when you think about what you want and how you can get there, then use that thought process to motivate yourself. It’s completely natural, and nothing to worry about! So it shouldn’t be too intense or long-lasting.

It can help you re-evaluate your situation, and can even help improve it by motivating you to work harder.

Unhealthy self-doubt

What is unhealthy self-doubt? It’s when you’re doubting your choices and blaming yourself instead of learning from your missteps. Which ultimately keeps you from improving your skills or gaining knowledge.

The fear of making a mistake, or the fear of being judged by others can be crippling. But it’s important to remember one key thing: no one is perfect. 

You’re going to make mistakes at some point – you just have to learn how to bounce back from them in order to flourish as an individual. 

Different types of self-doubt

Self-doubt can be debilitating, but it’s important to remember that not not all self-doubt is unhealthy. In fact, a healthy dose of self-doubt can be extremely helpful in getting you out of your comfort zone, and challenging yourself in new ways. 

However, if your negative thoughts about yourself or your abilities become frequent and begin to affect your daily life, they may be signs of an unhealthy pattern of thinking or behaviour. This is also commonly known as “negative self talk”.

The different types of self-doubt could be the following;

• Imposter Syndrome – the irrational fear of being a fraud, or not deserving any of your accomplishments. 
  
• Self-sabotage – the tendency to undermine your personal goals and values. 
  
• Indecisiveness – When you constantly struggle to make decisions, big or small, for fear of making the wrong decision and whatever consequences might result.
  

What to do if you doubt yourself 

If you have experienced self-doubt and anxiety, then you may have found yourself procrastinating, or even feeling depressed or emotionally unstable. 

These uncomfortable feelings can be gradually removed through the practice of self-validation, focusing on your strengths and achievements, and by taking some much needed “me time”.

However, that’s not all! You can also improve your self-doubt by:

• Speaking to a professional

If you’re struggling with your confidence and don’t know where to turn, talk to a licensed therapist or other mental health expert. Talking through what’s going on can help you see things from a different perspective, which may make all the difference in getting your confidence back.

• Talking to people you trust 

Another good way to get some perspective is by talking about your issues with friends who are supportive and understanding—especially if they’ve been through similar challenges themselves. They’ll be able to give advice based on their own experiences, so it’s worth asking them how they overcame their self-doubt at some point in their lives.

• Get enough sleep every night! 

As the experts say, getting a full eight hours a night is what our bodies need. So, if we aren’t getting enough sleep, self-doubt tends to lead us towards anxiety, which often manifests as insomnia. Interestingly, it can also manifest itself as excessive sleeping habits like napping during the day when we really need restful slumber at night. 

It can be difficult to combat self-doubt and anxiety if you don’t know where to start. Though we hope that these tips and tricks will be useful for your journey, no matter where you are in it. 

We encourage you to keep striving toward being the best you can be. No matter how difficult your hurdle is, we believe you can get through anything.

All you need to do is remember that we are all works in progress. So don’t compare yourself to anyone else, give yourself time to grow, and most importantly? Don’t doubt yourself (too much).

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