Confidence is an essential part of our mental and emotional well-being. It is what helps us tackle challenges, take risks, and achieve our goals. However, many of us can struggle with self-doubt, which can lead to a lack of confidence and prevent us from living our lives to the fullest. In this blog post, we'll explore why losing confidence happens and how holistic confidence coaching can help you regain it.
Why Do We Lose Confidence?
There are various reasons why people experience a loss of confidence. Some of the most common causes include:
Negative thoughts: When are experiencing repetitive thoughts that we're not good enough or not smart enough, we start to believe it. These negative thoughts can undermine our confidence and lead to self-doubt. This is not done intentionally and can stem from negative core beliefs, these are the foundation that our personal stories, self-talk and perspectives are built from. Remembering that thoughts are not facts, stepping back and reflecting can help us to regain control.
Perfectionism: Striving for perfection is a common trait among high-achievers, but it can also be detrimental to our confidence. When we focus too much on getting everything right, we can become overly critical of ourselves and our abilities. Perfectionism is associated with a wide range of negative outcomes, including anxiety and depression.
Comparing ourselves to others: Social media and the internet have made it easier than ever to compare ourselves to others. When we see others succeeding or achieving things we haven't, we can start to feel inadequate and lose confidence in ourselves. We forget that people tend to present a version of themselves online. Social comparison on social media has a negative impact on self-esteem and can lead to depressive symptoms.
Past experiences: Traumatic or negative experiences from our past can also impact our confidence. If we've failed at something before or been criticized harshly, it can make us doubt our abilities and hold us back from trying again. Past negative experiences can lead to self-doubt and a lack of confidence in future situations. Building a ‘learning’ mindset where we start to see ‘failures’ as learning opportunities can be transformational.
How Can Holistic Confidence Coaching Help?
Holistic confidence coaching is a type of coaching that takes a more comprehensive approach to building confidence. It doesn't just focus on the external factors that can impact our confidence, but also addresses the internal beliefs and behaviours that can hold us back. Here are some of the ways that holistic confidence coaching can help you regain your confidence:
Identifying and challenging negative thoughts: One of the first steps in building confidence is becoming aware of the negative thoughts that can undermine it. A holistic confidence coach can help you identify these thoughts and challenge them with more positive and realistic ones. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which includes identifying and challenging negative thoughts, has been shown to be effective in treating anxiety and depression.
Embracing imperfection: Rather than striving for perfection, holistic confidence coaching encourages embracing imperfection. This means recognizing that mistakes and failures are a natural part of the learning process and not a reflection of our worth or abilities. Self-compassion, which includes embracing imperfection, is associated with greater well-being and happiness. We are all imperfect humans beings, not machines.
Developing self-compassion: Self-compassion is the practice of treating ourselves with kindness and understanding, especially when we make mistakes or ‘fail’. Holistic confidence coaching can help you cultivate self-compassion, which can be an important factor in building confidence. Self-compassion is associated with greater resilience, well-being, and self-esteem.
Focusing on strengths and values: Rather than comparing ourselves to others, holistic confidence coaching encourages us to focus on our unique strengths and personal values. This means recognising what we're good at and what's important to us and using that to guide our decisions and actions. Focusing on our strengths and values can lead to greater happiness, well-being, and resilience.
Building resilience: Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and challenges. Holistic confidence coaching can help you develop resilience by teaching you coping skills and strategies to handle difficult situations. Resilience is associated with greater mental and physical health, as well as better academic and occupational outcomes. From a holistic perspective building resilience includes learning to move between states of stress and calmness quickly to build up strength in our nervous system.
It's important to note that building confidence is a process that takes time and effort. All change happens within and new behaviours or ways of thinking need to be repeated, just like building an area of muscle on your body at the gym. With the guidance and support of a holistic confidence coach, you can develop the skills and mindset needed to build and maintain confidence over time.
Conclusion
In conclusion, losing confidence and experiencing self-doubt is a common struggle that impacts us all at some point in our lives. It can impact our mental and emotional wellbeing. Holistic confidence coaching can help us address the underlying beliefs and behaviours that contribute to self-doubt and build a more confident and fulfilling life. By challenging negative thoughts, embracing imperfection, developing self-compassion, focusing on strengths and values, and building resilience, we can learn to approach challenges with more confidence and ease. So, if you're struggling with self-doubt and a lack of confidence, consider working with a holistic confidence coach to support you on your journey.
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