Doubt: Ways to Silence the Mental Enemy
That inner voice that creeps up every so often and tells you, “you can’t”, “it’s too hard”, “you won’t be successful”, “do this before you do that”…it happens to us all and some of us are more affected by it than others. So much so that we let this little voice rule over our head space and mute our passions.
As yoga and fitness enthusiast, I catch myself focusing more on the physically aspect of my journey and what I eat that oftentimes the self-care of the mind and headspace get overlooked.
It has been quite a year! Now that it is coming to an end, I have more moments where I sit and self-reflect. The good, the bad, and the ugly all come to the surface.
I will admit…tying together the love and belief I have in the yoga practice with the concepts of how to run a successful business have been more than challenging. I have days where I am on top of my game, feeling like I have a great offer and service to provide, and other days, I feel mediocre and completely unsure of what I am doing and where it will lead – this is the doubt and uncertainty. Sometimes its mind numbing!
You start to fear the outcome, money situations, being misunderstood, or failing in the attempt overall. It’s like the feeling I get when no one shows up to take a yoga class or attend an event. The situation might be different for you but the same outcome occurs.
Oh no! Doubt creeps in! What do you do?
5 tips to try when facing doubt
A lot of the progress you make is shifting the mental focus. Find what works best for you!
1) Breathe and shift your focus – It is sometimes easier said than done but leave your environment for a couple of minutes or hours. Find a place of solace and breathe deeply in and out through your nose. Shift your thoughts to your gratitude list – oftentimes you will have a break through.
2) Write down a short positive phrase or mantra to reaffirm that you are doing the best that you can. Tape this positive phrase to your bathroom mirror so you start the day off on a good note
3) Take a day for yourself and don’t feel guilty about it. We cannot run 110% all the time like we want.
4) Focus briefly on the fact that you are not alone – everyone goes through feelings of doubt, sometimes on a daily basis! Life didn’t come with a “how-to” book we are all in this together.
5) Write down your mental conflict. It is amazing the release you will have when you get your thoughts and feelings down on paper and out of you head.
Get out there and go for it, whatever “it” may be!
Sometimes we more action and less thinking…we will figure out all the logistics along the way. Learn from the past, focus on the present, believe in the future.
Be kind, Be healthy, Be YOU!