My Top 3 - Ways of Handling Self Doubt

Self doubt used to spin me and shut me down. And it still does, sometimes. But mostly I can crack on despite the self doubt.

Here are my top 3 ways of handling self-doubt:-

1) I made a decision that self-doubt wasn't going to stop me. Slow me down, maybe. But not stop me. No thank you. In the past, I would let self doubt stop me from doing things. I don't do that anymore. I try to remember that self doubt is inevitable when I'm trying new things because I am a normal human.

2) I TRY to take nice care of myself AND the self-doubt when it shows up. Instead of ignoring self doubt, forcing it down and ‘powering through’ I started to notice it and actually acknowledge it. I started to treat the part of me that was doubting more like a scared kid. I started to be soft with it and tend to it and be gentle with it. You wouldn't believe how much it helps!

Sometimes I even have a conversation with the self-doubt. I visualize this little self-doubt character coming into the room and I interact with it. This might sound very weird to you, but trust me, it works. I just watch the self doubt character walk in the room and I invite it to come and sit with me. It's like this little wispy thing that looks a bit like Casper the Friendly Ghost. Sometimes if it's really freaking out, I just hold it on my chest. It likes cuddles, soothing words and having its little ghost bum patted.

Remember, what you want when someone else knows you are feeling self-doubt. Love and hugs and encouragement and reassurance and reminders about how much of a badass you are and how you can totally do it? That’s exactly what I give to myself, and what do you know, it works!

3. I just admit it. It’s not a secret anymore that I keep inside all the time I used to.

Hello, my name is Anna, and I experience self doubt.

Back when I was still a manager in the NHS, I would ask people who seemed to be struggling with self doubt - what is your brain telling you about this task? Remarkably, they would usually tell me the truth, something like, I'm gonna mess it up. Once you have admitted it, it's never as hard to handle.

And remember, self doubt is like a vampire, it thrives in the dark. If you open the curtain on it and let a bit of sunshine in, one of two things happen; either the vampire crumbles to dust or at the very least, you realise it isn't quite as scary as you first feared.

Love Anna x