Self Doubt and how to get over it

Day 149 / 366

You must have heard of the imposter syndrome. It fascinates me, I am sure I would have already written a blog on it. But the gist of it is that people often think that they are a fraud. That they don’t actually deserve the job, or the money, or the scores that they are getting. They are a fluke, but people just have not recognized it yet.

I have felt like this all my life. And I was relieved when I learned about this concept. At least now when I get those thoughts I can be self-aware about them.

So how do you avoid doubting yourself, and your abilities each and every day? It’s simple. You have to find a way to prove yourself wrong. And the easiest way to do that is to succeed.

Self-doubt relishes in failure. When you are stuck at something, not making any progress for a long time, it just reinforces all your negative thoughts. Your brain registers it as proof that you don’t know anything. The antidote to this is victory. While it might not be possible to achieve everything you want, you can always try and have some small wins. If a task if too big for you to finish, break it up into smaller chunks and try and get a few of them done. Small wins will lead to hope, and hope will suppress feelings of self-doubt.

The other way is to surround yourself with people who celebrate your wins. Who keep reminding you that you are talented and that you are doing a good job. I would not count on this one though cause if I have learned anything in the past few years its that people in general are not reliable. So its best not to depend on them.