How to deal with moments of self doubt
Do you ever experience doubt?
If you don't please tell me your secrets!
I see nerves and anxiety and self-doubt on a daily basis. So I wanted to take the opportunity to remind you you're not alone.
You're not the only one who doubts themselves. Maybe you wonder whether you're doing a good enough job, whether you were the right person for this new role, whether you're going to hit those stretching objectives this year.
Everyone has moments of doubt. Something simple could go wrong in the office and you spiral downwards from there. What started out as a minor stress turns into a full blown 'I can't handle this!' moment.
So if you know you're going to experience these moments of imposter syndrome, you can equip yourself to deal with them.
Have you noticed how some people appear confident ALL of the time? *whispers* I coach these high performing people - and I promise you they're not confident all the time.
They just have good strategies for dealing with these moments. They don't dwell on failure, they note it with interest, learn and bounce back quickly.
So how do they do it?
1) They have an effective mental strategy. Mine is to have a list of all the facts that state why I'm great at my job e.g. client testimonials, years experience, qualifications etc. So if I have a moment of doubt I can read my list and get back in the 'I can do this!' zone. Practice makes perfect (or at least, better) so start a list now. It needs to be fact rather than opinion based so you can't argue yourself out of it!
2) They surround themselves with people who support them. People who are operating at a high level, who help to bring them up when something goes wrong. People who inspire and motivate them. Sense check who's in your inner circle - are they the right people?
3) They tell someone and get support. Is there someone you can confide in 1-1? Often you just need to get it off your chest and saying 'I'm rubbish' out loud can make you realise you're being daft. You don't want to be harbouring this kind of feeling for long - get it out and you'll notice it quickly fades.
Give some thought to these strategies and take what resonates. My main message this week is you are not alone. We all have moments of doubt - the strategy isn't to avoid feeling that way it's to bounce back faster.
Wishing you all the best
Kat
Kat Hutchings
Career Coach, Kat the Coach Ltd
kat@katthecoach.co.uk
P.S. I have a space open in February for a new client to work with me 1-1. If you've been on the fence about reaching out - now is the perfect time - we can start working on your next career move now.
P.P.S Happy Valentines day! Wishing you a fun day with loved ones.
