Do you struggle with thinking negative thoughts about yourself and your abilities? Perhaps you tend to be overly critical of yourself or lack confidence. Most of us are guilty of thinking negative thoughts about ourselves now and then. After all, we are human and not perfect. It’s easy to look inward and see things in ourselves that we can improve. However, if negative thoughts are a habit, they can hold you back from achieving your dreams and goals for success.
It is possible to train your mind to think differently. You can overcome negative thoughts of self-doubt by turning them into positive thoughts. You can create a habit of doing this when you become aware of how self-doubt can set in. Once you identify patterns that cause you to think negative thoughts of self-doubt, it will be easier to catch yourself in the act. Then you can decide to overcome those negative thoughts and turn them into positive ones. Thinking positive thoughts will help you to believe in yourself again.
Change Your Focus
When you think negative thoughts about yourself, feel like a failure, or think you aren’t good enough, try to immediately change your focus to something positive. What did you learn about yourself? Even if you only learned that you don’t want to do something again, that’s positive. You may realize that you weren’t meant to do it, which means there is something better for you. Focus on the things you know you excel in and feel confident about.
Realize That Most People Don’t Care About What You Are Doubting
The truth is if you do something embarrassing, say the wrong thing, make a mistake, or anything of that nature, most people don’t care! If you develop the ability to laugh at yourself in an awkward situation, that’s even better. Most people don’t dwell on it or have time to think about the mistake you made, especially if it doesn’t affect them personally. If a mistake affects someone personally, simply give a heartfelt apology and move on. They will eventually move on as well.
Are You Too Serious?
Some people are simply too serious and constantly overthinking. If this is you, you might take something too serious that really isn’t that serious. Then you might find yourself hyper-focused all day, dwelling on the one thing that you think you did wrong. Perhaps it was an embarrassing moment, such as mispronouncing a word during your presentation at work. You may dwell on it all day long, thinking that people were laughing at you, worried that you look less professional to your peers. The truth is, they probably didn’t notice. And anyone that did notice probably forgot about it five minutes later. Remember that you are human, and it’s ok if you fumble on your words or something else that’s not a big deal.
Replace All Negativity In Your Life With Positivity
If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts about yourself, it could be your environment. If you hang out with negative people, you will start to feel negative about yourself as well. It may be difficult if the problem is your coworkers or even a spouse or family member that you live with. But if you want to ditch the negative atmosphere, try making new friends that are full of positivity. Try new hobbies and activities that make you feel happy and confident.
Decisions, Decisions
Many people who struggle with self-doubt tend to have trouble making decisions. Ask yourself why you are having difficulty in making this decision. Is it fear of failure or making the wrong choice? That is related to a lack of confidence. Maybe you just need to do more research on whatever has you baffled. But remember that you are capable of making good decisions. Ask yourself if this decision will matter a month from now, six months, or even a year. That will help you determine if this is a more serious matter that you need to take more time on or if you just need to make a choice and move on.
Talk It Out With Someone
Find a trusted friend or mentor who is positive and won’t make you feel bad about yourself. But you also don’t want it to be someone who will sugar-coat the truth to make you feel better. Sometimes having a person outside of your mind tells you what they see. Ask them if you are overreacting when it comes to the feelings of self-doubt. That person may be able to confirm what you already know or help you to see things that are positive about you and the situation in question. Let them know that you are trying to change and get over the self-doubt you are experiencing. If you don’t have a friend or family member to trust, you may wish to seek a life coach or a support group.
Stop Thinking About It
Sometimes negative thoughts can ruin experiences and moments in your life. Try to put the negative thoughts on the shelf during the experience and focus on living in the moment. Being in the present may help you to realize that this experience isn’t as negative as your mind tried to tell you it would be. When you look back on the experience, you will probably find more positive things than negative.
Exercise The Negativity Away
Did you ever wonder why your friends who love to run are addicted to it? Why do they often say that running is when they do their best thinking? There is actually a scientific explanation for this. Exercise gets your blood pumping, clears your mind, and releases feel-good endorphins into your body. If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, get up off the couch and start moving. Whether it’s running or hitting the gym, or even dancing around your living room, any form of exercise will help. If it’s a nice day outside, go for a walk and just soak in all of the sounds and sights in nature. This will help you relax and be present in the moment, and clear your negative thoughts.
Realize When It’s Fear Talking
Fear is the number one driver of self-doubt and lack of confidence. Fear likes to show up when you step out of your comfort zone and try something new. It tells you that you can’t do it, you aren’t good enough, or some other negative thing that is simply not true. When you realize it’s fear talking, look at the fear as a cue to take action, not make excuses. The way to overcome fear is to acknowledge the fear and limiting beliefs holding you back. Then you can face the fear head-on and find ways to work through it.