How to Recognize Self-Doubt and Ways to Overcome It

Limiting beliefs, self-doubt, low self-esteem – no matter what you call it, we all struggle with it to some extent.

But, it doesn’t have to be what controls our life. Just like with any skill you learn, we can practice small habits every day to help reframe our minds to have more positive thoughts. 

Thoughts create feelings, feelings create action, and actions create results.

What do you want your results to look like? Fear or empowerment?

My personal experience with self-doubt

Although I’ve come a long way with self-doubt and can now talk back to my inner hater, I still struggle with it. Personally, I’ve found that it appears when I’m overwhelmed with my schedule, I’m feeling unbalanced with my priorities, and when I’m outside my comfort zone. I tell myself: “How can I pursue this calling if I can’t organize my calendar?” Guilt sets in because I’m spending time away from my family. And from there, if I let it, my thoughts spiral into a frenzy of being incapable of doing this. 

Stop right there. In these times of self-doubt, literally, pause at the moment. To move past thoughts like these, talk through them so you can identify what is really scaring you and what your mind is protecting you from. Once you know the underlying reason, that’s when you can make the right changes to your mindset that will allow you to move forward. 

I live by Mel Robbins’ “5-Second Rule.” If you have an impulse to act on a goal, you must physically act on it within 5 seconds before your mind talks you out of it. It’s terrifying to live outside your comfort zone, but it’s worth it! 

“If you don’t start doing the things you don’t feel like doing, you will wake up one year from today and be in the exact same place.” -Mel Robbins

“It’s not what you say out of your mouth that determines your life, it’s what you whisper to yourself that has the most power.” -Robert Kiyosaki

“Your only limitation is the one you set up in your own mind!” -Napoleon Hill

It’s normal to feel this way. At times of growth, you’re going to have limiting beliefs, but don’t let them hold you back! Take the time to talk through them and change your mindset. 

Why you might have self-doubt

Well, because we are human, right?

Self-doubt is just a side effect of living in this world. We are bombarded by social media these days showing us all the beautiful, successful people out there – all their best achievements, and angles, and it makes us play the comparison game. 

It could also come from your past or even present circles of unsupportive family and friends, a simple lack of confidence, or as simple as missing required knowledge or skills to perform a task.

Who knows? I’m not a therapist, so I can only speculate why you might have self-doubt, but what I do know is that my sole purpose is to help you acknowledge, recognize, and stomp out those limiting beliefs you have about yourself. 

How to overcome self-doubt

There are a few steps you can take that will help you overcome your self-doubt:

First, acknowledge them.

Simply, acknowledge your limiting beliefs. When you start hearing the negative talk, the “I can’t,” the “I’m terrible at that,” or even “I’m not good enough,” stop and listen. Literally. Stop and listen to those pesky voices. Observe what they have to say and try to uncover why they’re saying that. This is the time you can realize your obstacle and how it’s holding you back. 

Now we can start to find a solution to overcoming our block.  Is your self-doubt stemming from fear? Could it be a lack of action? Write down these answers and analyze where your doubt comes from. How is it holding you back? They are limits we place on our ability to accomplish or act on something, sometimes without realizing it.

Next, journal.

Journaling is an outlet for you to vent your feelings and express your thoughts. It helps you organize them, think through problems or concerns, set and achieve goals, and allow you to self-reflect. By spending just 15 minutes a day journaling, you can uncover pent-up feelings that have created limits within your mind and have been stopping you from accomplishing your dreams. 

• When you are experiencing self-doubt, I want you to write down those exact feelings and the reasons behind them. Ask yourself, what am I so afraid of? Why can’t I do this? Find the root cause. At times this can be challenging because you are in the trenches and you may need an aerial view. Ask friends and family about your idea to see what they think.

• Change your mindset. It’s like a debate you’re having with your two halves. Although your mind is just trying to protect you, it’s also creating limits and stopping you from being who you want to be. Literally, have a debate. Tell your mind how much you’ve already accomplished and how amazing you are going to be doing exactly what you love. Here you’ll write down what you’ve accomplished in your life and then, for at least 10 days, write down what you’ve accomplished each day. In doing this exercise, you’ll build your confidence and you’ll see your worth. 

Finally, make a plan

Think of the steps you want to take, write them down, set a due date, and hold yourself accountable. During hard times, focus on how you’ll feel once you have accomplished them. Stand up to your inner hater like you would stand up to someone bullying your kid. Show them what you can accomplish! You can do anything you set your mind to!

Now, the basics: How to journal

I, personally, love a good blank page like this journal because it’s just open space to write everything down with no rules, but it’s also nice to have a guideline to help you stay focused. That’s why I created this handy journal printable here. 

Journaling can look differently to different people, but if you are wanting to overcome that fear and doubt, here are a few suggestions I want you to try out:

• First, schedule time away from any distraction (I personally love early mornings or during my kids’ nap time). Block 15-30 minutes on your calendar.
• When you are ready to start writing, ground yourself. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and forget about all of the things around you.
• If you’re focusing on your self-doubt for your journal entry, use the questions and prompts above to really analyze it
• If need be, hire a life coach to help you overcome them!

I know, I know – you are thinking: “You are just saying that because you are a life coach,” but really I’m saying that because I’ve had one and know first-hand the difference it can make. 

A life coach is a professional support system. Someone to keep you on track, hold you accountable, and encourage you to be your best self. It’s hard to overcome years of self-doubt, but I was able to and so can you! You may need someone to ask the hard questions as I did. Whatever you decide, just know I am here for you.

If you want a little more info on why a life coach is a good idea, check out my blog “Why You Need a Life Coach.”

Self-doubt is something we all have to deal with, but not something that has to control our lives. Hopefully, this bit of information and journaling tricks will help you take a step in overcoming that negative voice in your head. 

If you are giving journaling a try – tell us in the comments what you think! Have other tips for overcoming self-doubt? Tell us about those, too.