5 ways to deal with the gremlin of self doubt

So I’ve been in a funk of late. Call it the moon, or hormones or current creative cycle, whatever. In these moments of funkiness (albeit that makes it sound way cooler than it actually is) there is a tendency for that little gremlin of self doubt to creep it’s way into your head. You know what I’m talking about. It happens to all of us – well, except Donald Trump – that guy is obviously SURE ABOUT EVERYTHING. Anywhoo.

To help eradicate that little gremlin of self doubt, I’ve compiled a list of things to do to make sure that critter does not burrow it’s way further into your brain than it needs to. Refer back to this list whenever you feel the need.

1. PUT AWAY YOUR PHONE. Put away your phone, your social media, your facebook, your instagram, your snap chat and whatever other platform you young fries are using these days. I would say that the number one cause of self doubt is comparison. Suddenly you see someone else who is doing something that little bit differently to the way you are doing it (whether it be how they feed their baby or how many people are liking-on their coffee-cup) and it can send you into a tailspin of self doubt. You have the power to shut it down. Really.
2. TAKE YOURSELF ON A SOLO COFFEE DATE. Being with yourself is useful in reconnecting to YOU. Being in your own company reaffirms you, and your solo, uniqueness. Doubting yourself is a result of the stories that we impress on ourselves – “not good enough”, “not talented enough”, “not achieved enough” sometimes the stories we create are misinformed by external forces (people, parents, children, friends, likes, followers etc) – being on a solo date eradicates all that extra fluff.
3. GET BACK TO YOUR “CRAFT”. Get back to doing what you do – whatever it is that you do – your job, your artistry, your sport, your craft, your teaching, your life path, your writing, your sharing. Getting stuck back into what YOU do, will help shift your mind back into the creator rather than the doubter state.
4. MOVE. Movement is motivation. Yoga teaches us about the strong mind-body connection and sometimes we need to have a physical shift in the body to create a mental shift in the brain. Go for a walk. Take a yoga class. Dance around your living room – literally SHAKE it off!
5. RECONNECT TO YOUR PURPOSE. Sometimes self doubt and general funkiness comes from feeling like we have lost sight of our vision or our purpose in what we are doing. Take out a piece of paper and write down at the top – “What do I want to be remembered for?” Once you have that question written down – take 7 minutes to write the answer to it.

So there you have it – some simple, quick effective ways to get you out of funky-town!!