It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, all humans are capable of and prone to self-doubt. I can’t count how many times I’ve said and have heard people say ‘I’m my biggest critic.’ It’s true. We are. Whether it be fear of failure or the genuine belief that we ourselves cannot do something, self-doubt is a very real hurdle several people face. It can stop you from getting a project off the ground or make you second-guess yourself once you’re halfway through; self-doubt can be crippling.

As a blogger (and perfectionist), I constantly doubt myself. My personal approval process for ideas is crazy, most of the things I think of never take off because I just ‘know’ they won’t work. Even when they do get to the point of me editing the photo or writing the text, I read it and think how ridiculous it is, then promptly delete. ‘That’s been done before’ and ‘this isn’t even any good’ are statements I find myself saying all the time. And that’s just blogging. I doubt myself in everything; in future projects, in my looks, in my relationships. The list goes on and on.

Eventually I got to a point where I’d had enough. There’s only so much time a person can spend moping, down on themselves, you know? Even your friends eventually give up on you. So when I got to that point, I realized I needed to do something about it. I was the only one who could help me, so I did.

There are tons of ways to prevent yourself from falling into these ruts or low points. The internet is littered with books, podcasts and articles about how to be confident and avoid falling into the trap that is self-doubt. While those are also incredibly important, I found in-the-moment ways to stop and refocus when you find yourself feeling crippled in self-doubt.

1: Stop What You’re Doing

Stop. Whatever it is you’re doing that you have started to doubt yourself in, just stop. If you continue, you’re going to fall into the hole of self-doubt, then self-pity, and before you know it you’ll completely give up on yourself and that project, or you’ll end up resenting it.

2: Reflect

What is it about yourself that you are doubting? Why do you feel like you aren’t enough? What are these qualities you think you don’t have? Write it down. Walk away. We don’t reflect often enough. Rather than examine and try to correct, we simply escape situations and then try again later. No. Stop. Examine how you’re feeling and what made you feel this way. Write it down. If you’re feeling up to it, maybe write ideas for ways to correct this behavior. If not, don’t worry. You can come back to it later.

3: Step Away. Do something else

This might mean you move on to the next thing on your list, or that you grab a cup of coffee and sit. For me, it’s usually one of the following.

4: Move

Meditate, go for a walk, go to a gym class, go for a swim. Do something to get your physical juices flowing, even if only for 30 minutes. I know, UGH. Exercise. Yuck. Believe me, I’ve been there. I live there. I’m practically the President of ‘Don’t Tell Me to Exercise’ land. But, moving helps get blood flowing. It helps your brain produce endorphins, which is basically a natural happy pill. It may not be instant, but movement helps get the body and mind out of that yucky place.

5: Music: pop in your headphones, blast your speakers or play it softly while you lay down to think

Depending on the situation, a soothing, mellow, yet upbeat playlist might do the trick. Or you may need that motivational playlist. Or the one to get you amped. I live on Spotify. I not only have my own private playlists for just about any mood, but I also love their genre and mood playlists. Music works its way into your heartbeat, so you can both lift yourself up and calm yourself down, depending on what you need. Me personally, I usually need an upper, so I go to either of my Dance It Off playlists: one of English music and the other of Spanish music. Again, it depends on my mood! No matter which playlist I choose, I always end up out of that funky mind space.

6: Call a friend, a sibling, a parent

Any one of your confidantes. Just talk, to distract yourself. Or use them as a sounding board for the idea or situation you were going through. You may end up chatting and getting distracted or may even get ideas for your project. They’re also going to be your best cheerleaders and probably the first people to make you truly understand how ridiculous you’re being.

7: Positive self-talk

Say it out loud. Write phrases on sticky notes. Take some time to journal. Use positive phrases that reinforce your strengths and qualities. Sometimes simply telling yourself ‘I can do this’ does the trick, other times it might be helpful to journal through what you’re feeling. Some people have post it notes or phrases written on mirrors to remind them to stay positive. Whatever your method is, use positive self-talk. Always. Yes, it feels incredibly cheesy and awkward at first, but once you get used it, it feels good.

Let’s say you’ve gone through those. Maybe you have others things to do. Don’t worry, you’ll come back to whatever you were doing later. If not, start again. Whatever activity you were doing when you started feeling down, go back to it. Start fresh. You can do this 🙂

Also: if you want to come over and follow me on Spotify, click Follow below or view my public playlists here.