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How to Stop Feeling Insecure and Start Feeling Confident

March 20, 2013 Emily Roberts MA, LPC

How do you stop feeling insecure and start feeling confident? Discover simple tools to stop feeling insecure and build self-esteem. Read this.

Insecurity is one of the most cunning and inhibiting ways our minds keep us from developing healthy self-esteem. It’s like a game our ego plays on us to go down the rabbit hole of negative thinking, making it seem almost impossible to get out. When unnoticed or part of our everyday repertoire, insecure thoughts no longer become an occasional lack in self-confidence, they turn into a way of life. Insecure feelings often leave one more inhibited in their life. Negative beliefs can snowball into avalanches, contributing to low self-esteem, anxiety and depressive thoughts.

It’s been said that we have about 50,000 conversations with ourselves a day. According to much of the research, 80-90 percent of this self-talk is negative. Imagine how much higher it is when you are feeling insecure? One of the tools to overcome insecurity is to know that it is not a diagnosis or a fixed way of thinking, rather insecurity is a trick our minds play on us. This can be a game or a battle; you have the choice to start looking at it as all-consuming or a strategic game you can master.

Three Great Ways to Stop Feeling Insecure

  • Reframe Your Past

How do you stop feeling insecure and start feeling confident? Discover simple tools to stop feeling insecure and build self-esteem. Read this.You can choose to look at the past with logic or with emotionally charged, self-deprecating thoughts. This will guarantee your feelings of insecurity stay strong.

Instead, look at the past and learn to let it go or re-frame it. Now, this doesn’t mean discount your feelings about it, rather think of the experience, what you learned, instead of letting it define you.

How to Reframe Your Past

Sandy went through a painful break-up. Feelings of rejection and unworthiness ensued. Is she single and unlovable? Only if she chooses to believe the insecure thoughts. Instead, she can acknowledge that it was a painful experience and see this as a past event that pushed her into a new life phase.

She is now learning more about herself and what she wants in a future relationship. She can even move into a more positive, loving mindset. Thank goodness she didn’t marry someone who treated her that way. She can look at this past experience with gratitude for showing her what she does deserve in a future partner.

  • Remember Your Accomplishments

Acknowledge your positive past; make a list of as many accomplishments or successes you can think of. Jack Canfield, America's success coach, uses this tool in many of his workshops and books. He says, “Knowing that you have had successes in the past will give you the self-confidence that you can have more successes in the future … It builds self-esteem.”

How do you stop feeling insecure and start feeling confident? Discover simple tools to stop feeling insecure and build self-esteem. Read this.Think of 20 to 30 accomplishments in your life. Make a list. They can be things from this year or 15 years ago. Just start writing. The A+ you got on your science project in 10th grade or the new client you acquired at work last year all count. When we focus on the things that we are proud of, without judgment, we can become more in flow with our secure sense of self.

Remember that you are different now. When we are insecure, we go back to how we handled things in the past and often times feel a sense of powerlessness. “Well, since I handled it that way, I will likely do it again.”

The real truth is here: you have changed significantly since the past, even five minutes ago! Rather than being stagnant since your last insecure thought or experience, you have gathered some insight into yourself and situations.

  • Let Go of Negative Self-Descriptions

In your mind, what adjectives do you use to describe yourself? If they are more negative terms, it’s time to take a second look. Single, unemployed, ugly, fat, unlovable, are all highly charged words that are not true. There are nicer, more productive ways to characterize how you are feeling.

Rather than unemployed, one could be in transition to a new career or job hunting. Unlovable, could be phrased as open to finding love. When you focus on self-deprecating labels, even if they feel true to you, it’s not serving you. If you want to change your insecure feelings and increase your self-esteem, practicing this skill daily is extremely important.

The bottom line is you can look at thoughts a bit differently than before. This is possible. Some may challenge this and say "But it takes years to work through or I’ve always thought this way, how can I change it now?” Each moment is a choice. Focus on the process rather than the outcome. Waiting for our minds to miraculously shift is self-defeating. Doing the work to talk-back and challenge these insecure thoughts is powerful.

What lies ahead is an adventure, not necessarily adversity, when we can begin to think of life this way and shift our thinking to a more conducive mindset. You'll find the result is long-term healthy self-esteem.

Emily is the author of Express Yourself: A Teen Girls Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are.You can visit Emily’s Guidance Girl website. You can also find her on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

APA Reference
Roberts, E. (2013, March 20). How to Stop Feeling Insecure and Start Feeling Confident, HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, March 28 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/buildingselfesteem/2013/03/stop-feeling-insecure



Author: Emily Roberts MA, LPC

Emily is a psychotherapist, she is intensively trained in DBT, she the author of Express Yourself: A Teen Girls Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are. You can visit Emily’s Guidance Girl website. You can also find her on FacebookGoogle+ and Twitter.

prestamos
May, 3 2017 at 10:08 pm

Awesome blog! Do you have any tips and hints for aspiring writers?
I'm planning to start my own site soon but I'm a little lost on everything.
Would you suggest starting with a free platform like Wordpress or go for a paid option? There are
so many choices out there that I'm completely confused .. Any tips?
Thanks a lot!

jane
September, 14 2016 at 1:38 pm

Iam 19 years old.and I don't even recall anything good I have ever said to myself

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

September, 14 2016 at 1:53 pm

Jane I hope you are able to start adding in more positive self-talk. You deserve it and I appreciate you commenting!
EMily

Helga Cozad
May, 24 2016 at 9:55 am

Moderation? ? ? 20 or 30 accomplishements? Well several years ago, I really thought that I had "accomplished" some success in my field and actually helped others.
Acquaintances, friends and those whom I thought I had helped have literally disappeared beyond my contact. One such a person about six months ago said he just "ignores" me. (his word!), and others don't respond. However: there are two people, "friends", who do stay in touch in a loving a caring way. That's good, isn't it? Mostly I feel very, very alone! If being alone could have boundaries, the boundaries around my "alone" is limitless! I don't feel lonely. Lonely is easy! I feel utterly alone! Not like a leaf dropping from a tree to the ground, but a leaf dropping off the planet into Infinity.
I won't bore you with any more "expansion". Thanks anyway.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

May, 24 2016 at 10:09 am

Hi Helga,
Thanks for writing. I look at successes and accomplishments in every area, not areas that focus on feedback from peers necessarily. For example, getting out of bed when you've had a rough day, going to the doctors when you really feel like skipping the appointment are accomplishments. Working on a project and completing it whether it be a DIY project for your home or a project at work. Researching a book and reading it, these are accomplishments that don't rely on other peoples approval or validation. Everyday you accomplish something from remembering to brush your teeth to paying a bill. These are the accomplishments I'm looking for and the more we focus on the daily accomplishments the better we will feel. Good luck, it takes practice and I know you can do it.
Take Good Care,
Emily

Helga Cozad
May, 24 2016 at 9:32 am

What if you can't recall any successes? but only endless failures with ever endeavor and every project, and every situation?

Grace
February, 8 2016 at 4:30 am

I feel good. started reading up ur articles since yesterday. am learning a lot. had also been struggling with low self-esteem fo.r as long as I can remember. u have really helped me

JessicaT
February, 3 2016 at 4:15 am

Low confidence is something I have been struggling for a long time, I am constantly looking for ways to feel better. I hope those tips will help, thanks.

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