Confidence & Self-Esteem
You can be capable and still doubt yourself
Confidence isn't about believing you're wonderful.
Sometimes it is simply being able to make a decision without questioning yourself for the next three days.
Speaking without analysing every word afterwards.
Trying something before you're certain you'll succeed.
Or trusting that you can cope if things don't go exactly as planned.
You may have plenty of evidence that you're capable and still find yourself second-guessing, comparing yourself with others or worrying about how you're perceived.
That doesn't necessarily mean you need more reassurance.
Sometimes the more we look for reassurance, the less we learn to trust ourselves.
Self-doubt can show up as
questioning decisions after you've made them
worrying about what other people think
comparing yourself with people around you
discounting things you've done well
avoiding opportunities because you don't feel ready
needing reassurance before acting
holding yourself to standards you wouldn't expect of others
feeling uncomfortable being visible
fearing that a mistake says something significant about you.
You might tell yourself to be more confident.
The problem is that confidence rarely appears because we demand it.
A different way of approaching confidence
At Saltbush, we look at what happens when doubt appears.
How much attention do you give it?
Do you treat uncertainty as evidence that something is wrong?
Do you postpone decisions until you feel certain?
Do you repeatedly check what other people think before trusting your own judgement?
Rather than trying to replace every negative thought with a positive one, strategic psychotherapy helps us examine how you respond to doubt and where more useful choices can be made.
Clinical hypnosis can support this work by helping you rehearse responding differently in situations that previously triggered uncertainty or self-consciousness.
What change might look like
Greater confidence doesn't necessarily mean feeling fearless.
It can mean acting even when some doubt is present.
Making a decision and allowing it to stand.
Accepting that not everyone needs to approve.
Recovering from mistakes without turning them into a judgement about who you are.
And relying more on your own capacity to respond than on your ability to predict every outcome.
The aim is not certainty.
It is greater trust in yourself.