Overcoming Self-Doubt

Passionate health professions educationalists often face self-doubt when their ideas are met with resistance or mistakes occur. Self-doubt is a mental state where a person is caught between believing they can do something and believing they cannot do it. This thinking can be detrimental to your mental and physical health if it is not dealt with properly. Below are a few tips you can follow when facing self-doubt:

Stop comparing: Stop putting so much focus on what other people are busy doing and start focusing on yourself. If you accomplished something, no matter how small, be proud of yourself. If you keep comparing your accomplishments to others, you will diminish your own success. Have a clear vision of your goals and focus on your own journey.

Do not over-commit on too many things at once: Often, self-doubt comes as a result of having too much on your plate without the time or ability to achieve it properly. You then end up feeling overwhelmed. If you are in this position and have the ability to delegate one of your commitments, do so.

Break your long-term goals into smaller components: This will help you to achieve constant success and keep you motivated. Often, we feel frustrated because we have not experienced a victory for a while and we start doubting ourselves.

Seek help: You do not have to fight every battle alone. Sometimes asking for help goes a long way in overcoming self-doubt. This can come in the form of seeking advice from a friend and loved one or going to a psychologist for professional help.

Practice self-compassion: Self-doubt often arises when we are afraid of making a mistake. Remember, we learn through making mistakes so do not fear failing. Start each day by looking in the mirror and give yourself three positive affirmations.

Full read here: Ways to counter self-doubt | Undergraduate Programs | University of Waterloo (uwaterloo.ca)