Last Updated on March 16, 2023 by Mike Robinson
Self-Doubt: What Causes It and How to Deal with It
Scientists have ideas about what is going on in the brain when someone is stuck in a cycle of self-doubt and low self-esteem. Self-doubt typically happens when you overthink. Over time, your brain might alter. Neuroplasticity is what scientists call it. Since doubt is one of the emotions that get stuck in your head, you need to learn how to challenge it to get rid of it.
Causes of Self-Doubt
Researchers have found that self-doubt is linked to three emotional systems in the brain. These systems were necessary for evolution.
1. The first is the threat response system, also known as the “fight-or-flight” system. It helps you understand what to do when you are in danger. Criticism from others or self-criticism can spark this system. The brain sees self-criticism as a real threat, so doubting yourself can turn this system on. Cortisol comes out of your brain, which makes you want to run away and hide. In this case, avoidance is an automatic way to protect yourself from yourself. Luckily, you can turn this response off with the other two systems.
2. The second system is the drive system, which makes dopamine come out of your brain. Dopamine makes you want to get what you want in life, whether it’s a partner, a skill, or resources. The approach system is what makes you do something. When you have low self-doubt, it kicks in.
3. The last system is the care given by a mammal. It helps you take care of yourself and also turns on when you have low self-doubt. It is the key to building trust and getting out of a bad mood. From an evolutionary point of view, this is how we learned to take care of our babies. It tells the brain to release oxytocin, the “love hormone,” which controls sexual reproduction, and social interaction and helps people be kind and caring. This third reaction is not only very old but is also caused by hormones. It gives us the ability to be kind to ourselves and other people.
These three systems work together to keep your sense of self and self-control in check and to help you decide how to react to situations. To deal with self-doubt, you must turn off the threat system and use the other two systems more often. Here are some ways that you can start:
How to Deal with Self-Doubt
Become more self-aware.
“Be yourself” is a proverb. Good advice, but hard to follow when uncertain. Self-awareness helps you understand who you are and what you can do. Before cultivating self-esteem and self-love, you must know yourself. Self-awareness is self-confidence. Knowing your values, tastes, opinions, and behaviors. By gaining self-awareness, you may realize your faults and strengths and form honest connections.
First, assess your belief system. You can’t accept yourself if you have limiting beliefs and cognitive illusions. Limiting beliefs restrict you from thinking, speaking, or acting in ways that would help your personal development. The following categories can be used to separate these beliefs:
- The beliefs guiding our decisions and actions – “I do” and “don’t” statements.
- Self-efficacy and image-related beliefs – can’t/can’t statements.
- Problems with self-judgment or blame-related beliefs, including “I should” and “shouldn’t” statements.
- Identity-related beliefs – I am/I am not declarations e.g., I am a moron.
- They will/are statements are beliefs about other people and their ideas.
Be patient with yourself
Gaining a greater understanding of your thoughts and beliefs will require some time and work. It is not natural to halt in the midst of strong emotions and consider how you got there, but doing so will be helpful. The best approach to begin comprehending your limiting ideas is through this.
The point is to be aware of any unfavorable feelings you may be having. In times of stress, depression, or rage, consider the actions you display. What sets them off? Consider the circumstances that cause you to feel this way as alarming.
Here are a few instances:
• You begin to perspire, and your heart begins to race as you prepare to go out with your friends. You’re anxious.
• You find yourself arguing with your partner about trivial issues on a day when you had a tough time at work.
• After spending an evening alone, you become lonely and depressed.
Any incident can raise an alarm. Once you’ve identified it, consider similar circumstances you’ve encountered that produce the same pain or emotion. Do they influence how you feel? Get as descriptive as you can and list as many triggers as you can. They will aid in your better understanding of your limiting beliefs.
Examine your limiting beliefs
The next step is to confront your limiting beliefs once you’ve made a list of them. Examine each of your thoughts and ask yourself the following questions.
1. How realistic is it?
2. Does it come from facts or emotions?
3. What evidence do I have to prove it?
4. Am I misreading the evidence?
5. Is the situation more complicated than I think?
Keep in mind that thoughts come and go just swiftly, so it could be challenging to examine them at the time they occur. Even when they are not happening in real time, you can still take the time to evaluate them in your notebook. It will become simpler to deal with your habits in the present as you become more familiar with them. You will have the chance to assess and compare your answers to the truth when you respond to these questions. Any thoughts that are not rooted in reality should be abandoned.
Building Up Your Self-Efficacy
Icek Azjen’s theory of planned behavior says your intention determines your decision to act. Intention drives behavior. It shows your willingness to try something and your work ethic. Your action will be stronger if you’re determined. Norms, attitudes, and perceived behavioral control influence intentions, he said. Perceived behavioral control means feeling in control of your behavior. How skilled you are matters.
Azjen followed by suggesting that our intentions are influenced by our actions and that the stronger our intentions, the more power we believe we have. When we feel in control, we work more. Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy hypothesis is similar. Self-efficacy is how well you do an action. It is not the same as self-worth or self-image.
Self-efficacy is believing you can handle challenges. It’s your confidence in your abilities. Unlike self-esteem, self-efficacy is active. High self-esteem can promote self-efficacy, but they are different. Self-efficacy and motivation are linked. Belief in your ability to succeed versus Desire to succeed.
Self-efficacy is linked to self-confidence and self-love, notwithstanding their differences. Self-efficacy is the belief in your abilities to handle problems and achieve a specific result. Albert Bandura found that self-efficacy affects people’s lives greatly. He said it affects how you deal with stress and solve difficulties. Self-sustaining. When you solve issues, your self-efficacy increases, and you grow to appreciate yourself.
He recognized these self-efficacy sources:
1. Verbal influence
2. Visualization
3. Indirect experiences
4. Mastery encounters
5. Physiological and emotional states
High self-efficacy people have an internal locus of control. They think they can transform life. Your locus of control is external if you fail an exam and think, “The teacher doesn’t like me” or “I couldn’t change my result.” You need self-confidence.
Self-loving people can easily own their failures and faults when they have an internal locus of control or high self-efficacy. They’ll take responsibility when necessary. Self-efficacy and anxiety are linked. Low self-efficacy produces anxiety because you feel out of control and unable to handle situations. Strengthen
Become more self-determined to reduce self-doubt
Self-determination means being able to make choices and regulate your life. It gives you a sense of power over your life and choices and motivates you to take action. The concept might help you gain confidence in numerous areas of life. Self-determination theory argues three universal and innate needs inspire growth and change. Self-determined people are connected, autonomous, and competent. You seek growth and fulfillment.
Mastering problems and obtaining new experiences are crucial for developing and loving a unified sense of self. It emphasizes being motivated by intrinsic factors, not money or fame. To progress, you need to feel that taking action will change your circumstances (autonomy), master tasks and abilities (competence), and feel connected (connection).
Imagine someone not finishing a crucial task. Self-determined people will recognize their mistakes and try to solve them. They’ll remedy the error. Low-self-determination people share blame in similar situations. They may deny failing the assignment. They’re not motivated to repair it. Instead, they give in to helplessness, believing they can’t assist.
Self-determination affects your functioning. Self-motivated workers are more engaged and motivated. You excel in competition. In social circumstances, you can form closer, more intimate bonds. Self-determination improves many aspects of life. Change your perspective to foster self-determination. Believe that you control your life’s outcome. This will help you overcome self-doubt and improve.
Take care of yourself
How to stop overthinking long-term? Without self-care, self-doubt tactics won’t work. How do you refuel when others come first? We now discuss self-care. Recharge to be your best in life. You’re less able to care for others and more prone to self-doubt and overthinking when you ignore your needs. Self-care nurtures. Food and soul-nourishing activities are included. If you’re empty, you’ll be irritable. Errors cause overthinking. Self-care time can be any length. Self-care is threefold:
1. Physical self-care includes exercise and rest.
2. Social self-care involves meeting social needs. Social self-care is any activity that fulfills our need for community and belonging.
3. Mind-and-emotion self-care. Self-care might include emotional management classes.
In Conclusion:
Overthinking can create self-doubt, which can intensify self-doubt. Inevitably, the two are linked. You can start overcoming self-doubt by:
- Become more self-aware
- Examine your beliefs
- Build Up Your Self-Efficacy
- Identify and Understand Your Strengths.
- Learn to Become More Self-Determined
Be careful to schedule self-care into your day as you complete these tasks. It is what increases your likelihood of staying the course despite overthinking.
