To Anyone Experiencing Self-Doubt,
First off, if you're unsure what "self-doubt" is, it can loosely be defined as feeling insecure about one's decisions, abilities, and/or sense of self in general. Someone that is experiencing self-doubt may be lacking confidence in themselves and having problems with trusting their choices.
As humans, having feelings of insecurity and lacking confidence is a normal thing. But, when you are doubting all of your abilities and decisions, the insecurity and lack of confidence becomes a real issue. Being plagued with self-doubt is no walk in the park.
I myself am someone that often experiences feelings of self-doubt. I think that twenty-somethings in particular face this more than many other age groups. It's become a common problem. It's difficult being this age and not constantly experiencing doubt -- it is practically inevitable. Doubt isn't always caused by yourself, however. As a twenty-something, we are always facing criticism. It stems from the adults in our lives, as well as the media. Your twenties are a critical point in your life in many ways, so it is natural to worry about the legitimacy of your choices and feel insecure with the direction your life is heading.
To all of you who are experiencing self-doubt, I want you to know that these feelings are okay and that you aren't alone. I want you to know that your self-doubt and the emotions that come along with it are legitimate, but that you have the ability to get over your insecurities, face your decisions with courage, and trust your abilities. I want you to know that you are the best person to make your decisions. I want you to know that you are good enough. Never let someone else, or the media, take away from your confidence in directing your own life choices.
The main key to overcoming situations of experiencing self-doubt is to learn how to trust yourself. In my opinion, self-trust is the opposite of self-doubt. Trusting yourself can take a lot of work, but here are some tips that I have for you based on some of my experiences with learning self-trust:
1. Avoid those that make you second-guess your choices and abilities.
What I mean by this is don't spend time with those that question your decisions and your skills. Instead, spend time with people that encourage you to make great life choices and embrace your unique abilities. In other words, surround yourself with positive individuals. Avoiding negative people that cause you to have self-doubt and diminish your self-trust is only half the battle.
2. Stick with the things that you say you will do!
If you can't keep your promises, how are you supposed to trust yourself? If you say that you are going to do something, stick with your decision! If you always abandon your projects out of insecurity, fear, or whatever it may be, you will definitely be more likely to experience even more self-doubt in the future.
3. Follow your intuition.
If you truly believe that you are capable of handling a situation -- follow your intuition, you are probably right! Following your intuition will help you gain even more self-trust when the situations turn out in your favor and you'll be glad that you listened to yourself. These positive feelings will help you follow your intuition more in the future and experience less self-doubt.
Although these tips are a little easier said than done, I hope that they are able to help you in your times of self-doubt. Practicing self-trust, from my experience, will help you immensely. When you experience less self-doubt, you will have more time for experiencing things rather than living in a constant state of insecurity and indecisiveness. I sincerely hope that this letter helps you on your journey of overcoming self-doubt.
And never forget that you are good enough.
Yours truly,
A twenty-something who also experiences self-doubt
