The past week or so has absolutely been the most stressful period of time that I have had in several months. A cacophony of presentations, research papers, meetings, and other assignments was raining down on my life and resulting in a level of stress that felt anything but healthy. Sleep, a necessity for maximal human functionality, started to feel as if it were one of those dreams that rapidly fades from your memory as you awaken from the sleep cycle.

Roughly a week ago, as I looked at my schedule, I questioned which would happen first: Me successfully accomplishing the overwhelming workload, or death, via a bitter-tasting concoction of sleep deprivation and a questionable amount of caffeine. Melodrama aside, the uncertainty surrounding how I was going to survive the next week was deeply concerning, and there was absolutely a moment where I said to myself: “You cannot do this, it’s too much” As of this past Tuesday, The gauntlet of work came to its conclusion with me delivering a presentation that I had been preparing amidst my other responsibilities. As soon as I completed the presentation, I returned to my seat and let out a sigh of relief.

It was over, I had actually done it. Later that day, something truly interesting took place. Even though I was relieved that I had managed to finish the tasks and meet the deadlines, I had another thought that occurred simultaneously: Why was I so quick to assume that I could not do what was required of me? Did I have that little confidence in my ability to overcome the challenges that I faced? When I had looked over my list of items that needed to be completed in a short span of time, the immediate reaction was the onset of stress. Rather than taking a step back and calmly strategizing about the best way to approach the situation, self-doubt emerged from the shadows and loomed over me.

But now that I have emerged on the other side of that dark tunnel, retrospectively, my prior worries seem somewhat asinine and highly reactionary. Yes, to a certain extent, my fears possessed a moderate amount of legitimacy, however, I should have had a more balanced reaction to my workload, as opposed to going too far in one direction. Why was it instinctual for me to feel stress before anything else? Likely because the knowledge of the upcoming work triggered a memory of a past experience where I also felt in-over-my-head, and having that feeling arise from my subconscious was enough to make me feel defeated at merely the thought of being buried alive by a crushing workload yet again.

So what is one to do when we encounter these crippling instances of self-doubt? Tell yourself that if you have gotten through it before, you can get through it again. We can so hastily let the anxiety of a moment cloud our minds from remembering that we are not beings that spontaneously exist one moment and then cease to exist the next, we all have histories, and at various intervals throughout our histories, we have had opportunities to triumph over adversity. It is important to remind ourselves of those victories when we want to believe that we have reached the limit of what we can handle.

In order for us to accomplish great things, we have to personally believe in our own capabilities. Humility is admirable, it is good thing to stay grounded so that we are always able to recognize that there is still information to consume and growth to be had. But it is also essential to not sell ourselves short, confidence is positive. I believe in your capability to be outstanding, the question is: do you? The next time you feel that you have reached a mountain too high to scale, stop and take a deep breath. Allow the memories of the past instances where you beat the odds to resurface, and climb that mountain. You can do it, I promise.