Perhaps you’re going through a tough chapter in life, and your confidence has suffered as a result. You might have lost a job, left a relationship, or dealt with another personal crisis that left you reeling. Maybe you’ve been living through a string of difficult incidents that have rocked your sense of self-worth and left you grappling with intense feelings of failure.
When you encounter setbacks, it’s all too easy to fall into patterns of negative self-talk. In fact, when an individual is dealing with an obstacle, they often forget about all of the positive things they’ve accomplished. Instead, they tend to focus on previous mistakes. But you’re so much bigger than any slip-ups. Let’s explore how you can gradually break free from feelings of failure and slowly rebuild your confidence.
Prioritize Basic Self-Care
If you’re in a rough spot, you might be neglecting simple self-care. Sometimes, symptoms of anxiety or depression can get in the way of routine self-care practices, like getting enough sleep, preparing healthy meals, or exercising on a regular basis.
Prioritizing these habits is the first step to revitalizing your confidence. When you emphasize self-care, you internalize the belief that your physical and mental well-being are more important than anything else. This can make a dramatic difference to your emotional state.
Identify Sources of Negativity
Figuring out the roots of your feelings of failure can help you let go of these beliefs. For example, do you tend to feel worse after spending long periods of time online? If so, you might be labeling yourself as a failure because you compare yourself to polished highlight reels that you see online.
Alternatively, certain friends or family members might repeatedly bring up the setbacks you’ve been through. These emotional barbs can feel discouraging. If this is the case, you may need to set boundaries with these people in your social circle, or create some temporary distance.
Connect With Your Support System
Think about the people in your life who lift you up. This could include friends, relatives, mentors, people you volunteer with, or even acquaintances who you’ve grown closer to recently.
Spending time with your true support system can boost your confidence, even if you’re not explicitly talking about your current circumstances. Your confidence can suffer when you’re around inconsiderate people. But when you’re with people who appreciate you for who you are, it can change the way you see yourself.
Take Small Steps
You do not have to change your entire life overnight. Instead, think about how you can take small steps towards lasting change. Pick one or two goals that you’d like to work towards, and break down your plan of action.
For instance, if you want to find a new job, focus on sending out a specific number of applications each day. You can also include goals like updating your resume, meeting with a career coach, practicing answers to interview questions, or reaching out to someone in your network to learn more about their job.
Celebrate Your Wins
You deserve to celebrate your wins! No matter how small an accomplishment might seem, acknowledging your progress can boost your confidence. At the end of the day, take a few minutes to jot down anything you’ve achieved. It could be as simple as making a new recipe for dinner, reaching out to a friend you haven’t seen in a while, or following along with a yoga video you enjoyed.
–
Are you struggling to let go of feelings of failure and rebuild your confidence? The right therapist can help. Reach out to our practice to book a free consultation for men’s therapy.