How Low Self-Confidence Can Block Your Glow-Up
"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you’ve ever struggled with periods of not feeling the best about yourself, you know how the experience can compare to having a dark cloud constantly hanging overhead.
Low self-confidence can show up in sneaky ways, or can manifest in easy-to-spot, yet annoying barriers in our everyday lives and routines.
Both personally and professionally, low self-confidence will have you living a life that feels unfulfilling. Unless this is addressed, the discomfort and detriments of self-doubt will continue.
How Low Self-Confidence can Negatively Impact Our Personal Lives
You avoid showing up socially
You may feel uncomfortable with your appearance, or how you anticipate being perceived in a social setting. This may manifest as excessive worrying about your appearance, or rumination about what to say when you get to the event. To avoid the embarrassment of potentially not being interesting enough or being disliked, you may choose to skip social events altogether.
This can lead to you being robbed of many special experiences, the possibility of meeting people that could enhance your life, and even once in a lifetime memories. Remember- you’ll never get this time back.
You avoid setting proper boundaries
You possibly minimize your feelings and needs, and therefore avoid sharing them with others. You might worry about coming across as mean or needy. You believe that speaking up for yourself automatically will make you a burden or nuisance to others.
The consequence of this is that the people in your life will not know what you’re feeling or what you need. You may unnecessarily be put in uncomfortable or upsetting situations. You may often feel frustrated due to feeling overlooked or mistreated.
You talk yourself out of pursuing dreams or personal goals
You could be talking yourself out of something that you’ve been desiring for a long time. Maybe it’s a certain career path. Possibly, it’s something more creative like standup comedy or active, like running a 5k.
Whether it is because you feel too afraid to try, or you feel unworthy of achieving these goals, putting it off may end up being something that you regret at the end of your life.
You view yourself in a negative way
The very presence of low self-confidence itself can lead to you behaving in ways that reinforce the negative beliefs that you have about yourself and the world.
Not disrupting this negative self-talk can have you thinking these false things about yourself and interacting with the world in detrimental ways for years, leading to deep dissatisfaction in your life.
How Low Self-Confidence Can Negatively Impact Our Professional Lives
You avoid taking any initiative at work
You possibly feel incapable of contributing to projects at work. You may hesitate to share ideas with the team. You may shy away from leadership roles.
Taking initiative at work is a great way to demonstrate your readiness for promotion. It can also be beneficial if you are trying to negotiate a raise. You are risking the possibility of growth in these ways.
You avoid taking on tasks that could be challenging
Low self-confidence can falsely cause you to believe that failure is inevitable if you attempt to accomplish something new or difficult.
Challenges provide the potential for fostering professional growth and strengthening career skills. Similarly with taking initiative, you may be passed over for opportunities for advancement if you consistently avoid challenges.
You avoid advocating for yourself
You often believe that you’re not worth even the bare minimum in the workplace; you don’t want to make a fuss or seem demanding.
Low self-confidence may have you erroneously accepting conditions or behaviors that are simply unacceptable. You could put yourself at a disadvantage for acquiring raises, promotions, and other desired opportunities due to not speaking up for what you want or need.
You doubt your abilities, or even your place at work
Doubting yourself in this way is often referred to as Imposter Syndrome. You frequently question whether or not being hired for your role was a mistake. You often look over your shoulder, hoping that no one will notice that you don’t actually belong there.
Imposter Syndrome can drain you and erode your actual abilities to contribute to your job, and even to your career.
Don’t allow low self-confidence to make your life small. Don’t allow life to pass you by, until one day you look back and regret all of your unrealized potential and missed experiences.
I hope this helps! If this isn’t you, please share with a friend that could benefit from reflecting on this.
As Always, Be Well!
~Jessica
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Resources
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Dial “988”
Text Crisis Line: Text “HELLO” to 741741
