5 Ways to Work with Self-Doubt

Self-doubt is something that many of us feel from time to time. Especially when we're doing something that’s new or that exposes more of who we are, it's normal that we feel self-doubt. Although self-doubt is a very human experience, it can also keep us from expressing ourselves fully, taking risks, trusting ourselves, or moving toward things that genuinely matter to us. And so, here are five ways that you can overcome self-doubt when you notice it rearing its head.

1. Learn how to work with your inner critic.

The first tip for overcoming self-doubt is based in the fact that self-doubt is the language spoken by your not so long lost friend, your inner critic. As you may have read in my previous articles, your inner critic is a part of you and for many of us, it’s a part whose voice we hear more often than we'd like. We all contain different internal voices, fears, needs, reactions, hopes, and perspectives. And while our inner critic may sometimes believe it’s protecting us, it doesn’t necessarily see the full picture of who we are.

And so, sometimes it can even help to relate to the inner critic as a part of you rather than as the entirety of who you are. For some people, giving that critical voice a name or recognizing its patterns can create a little more space between “you” and the criticism itself.

Instead of automatically believing every self-critical thought, you might begin responding with curiosity:
“What’s happening right now?” “What is this part worried about?” “What is it trying to protect me from?”

2. Be mindful of your self-comparisons.

Compare, Compare. Compare. It's one thing we humans love to do. And it's also one of the things that makes our self-doubt creep up in such high magnitudes! Sometimes I imagine calling up a friend and asking, “What are you doing?” and her/him honestly saying, “Busy comparing myself to other people… can we talk later?” instead of falsely saying “oh, not much… how are you?”

We’ve gotta be mindful of our self-comparisons. What do I mean when I say “be mindful” of them? Well, we all have control over what we expose ourselves to and how often or how much we expose ourselves to it. So, if comparing yourself to other people who appear smarter, more attractive, or more successful than you in some way exacerbates your self-doubt, then honing in on why you compare yourself to other people and ways that you can shift those comparisons may well be worth your time. I recently wrote an article on how to stop comparing yourself to other people, and you might consider giving it a read too.

It’s often much easier to notice where we lack or fall short than to acknowledge how much we’ve survived, learned, risked, created, or grown over time. So, the next time you feel tempted to compare, remember that a more compassionate comparison is simply noticing who you are now compared to who you once were. And I bet, with some practice, that you'll see someone who has been trying, learning, surviving, adapting, growing, and finding their way through life in ways that deserve acknowledgment and praise too.

It’s often much easier to notice where we lack or fall short than to acknowledge how much we’ve survived, learned, risked, created, or grown over time.

3. Connect to your ‘why’.

Focusing on your “why” or the reason why you're doing this thing that’s new or that’s a bit risky or vulnerable to do in the first place can be another wonderful way to counteract self-doubt. By focusing on something outside of yourself and something that coincidentally brings you in touch with the bigger picture and purpose behind what you're doing, you'll be both less likely to be consumed by the small details of how your capabilities and skills align with what you're doing and more consumed with the contribution that you're making.

Think about it this way. If you're focusing on yourself and only yourself, the voice of self-doubt will be pretty loud, asking (but really, telling) you “What if you fail? What if you don't have what it takes? What if nobody sees the value in what you're doing?” and many other variations of these doubtful statements. But, if you're focused on the contribution that your actions and decisions have the potential to make on your community or the world, then the voice of self-doubt will be much quieter. Instead of being connected to the voice of inner criticism, you'll reconnect with what genuinely matters to you. And that right there is a pretty good feeling, isn’t it?

Often, when we reconnect with something meaningful beyond our fear — creativity, contribution, connection, curiosity, care, expression, service, or authenticity — self-doubt no longer feels quite so dominant. It may still be present, but it doesn’t have to completely lead the conversation inside us. And that’s something many people who’ve been able to do great things for our planet have in common. They tended to have and to stay connected to a really strong sense of purpose for what it is they were doing.

Self-doubt is a deeply human experience, especially when we care about something, risk being seen, try something unfamiliar, or move outside our comfort zone. The goal usually isn’t to eliminate self-doubt entirely, but to build a different relationship with it — one where fear, uncertainty, or inner criticism no longer completely determine what’s possible for us.

Over time, we can learn to meet those moments with more awareness, compassion, steadiness, and self-trust.

And that process rarely happens all at once. It’s something we practice gradually over time.