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Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

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11–20 of 90 posts

Re: Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

#11
post #10

There's two really good approaches to this issue that I've learned. The one in the article is cognitive behavioral therapy (also, dialectical behavioral therapy, depending on the type of ruminations). Another approach that has been gaining more traction lately is mindfulness, which is basically using meditation to clear the mind of ruminating thoughts. I've read bits of Feeling Good Handbook, which is an often recomm…

I totally agree about the mindfulness. I started to use the app, https://www.headspace.com. Which walks you through mindfulness meditation.

I've noticed a stead improvement after using it for a while.

Re: Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

#12

The world, and Silicon Valley startup culture in particular, is filled to the brim with oblivious narcissists. You can pry my nagging self-doubt from my cold, dead fingers, thank you very much.

Yeah some amount of self-doubt sounds healthy. Questions that come to mind:

* Is there a healthy and an unhealthy kind of self doubt?

* What's the appropriate amount?

Re: Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

#13
This is so true, I'd like to add sometimes I get a bit frazzled or swept up in something I don't need and I mentally stand aside and ridicule and laugh how silly and pathetic that part of me is. And then we laugh together and suddenly everything is trivial funny and not worth any worry at all.

Re: Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

#14

I have extreme anxiety, caused by OCD where the compulsions are mental rather than physical rituals. Looking through this article, all of the tips are tremendously powerful. Unfortunately, they're things that have taken me over 5 years to really become aware of, accept, practice--oh man, is persevering difficult--make mistakes, and finally get better at. Unfortunately, as with many mental habits, it's really, really…

> Unfortunately, as with many mental habits, it's really, really hard to implement advice when other people just tell it to you. It's a much longer process than that.

This is perhaps where a therapist can provide a lot of benefit. My experience is that knowing something usually has only minimal impact on actually affecting change. Having someone go through it with you, give you 'homework' and/or keep you accountable is crucial.

Re: Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

#15
Self doubt is a good thing. If more people doubted and considered their actions rather than maintaining the "I AM SO GREAT" attitude, and believing they are gods great gift and their actions are infallible, perhaps fewer shitty things would happen in this world.

Re: Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

#16
post #6

This sort of thing has been around for a long time. See "The Power of Positive Thinking" (1952), by Norman Vincent Peale.[1] The short version: "Insecure", by Joan Jett.[2] The century-old version: YMCA Salesmanship Training Manual, 1920.[3] [1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0SXM [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAVeAVvJIoo [3] https://books.google.com/books?id=CBFPAAAAYAAJ

Then there's the millennia-old version in the form of Buddhism. I've been looking into Buddhist 'psychology' and it's shocking how much of this was already practiced and theorized about way back then.

Re: Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

#17
post #12

The world, and Silicon Valley startup culture in particular, is filled to the brim with oblivious narcissists. You can pry my nagging self-doubt from my cold, dead fingers, thank you very much.

Yeah some amount of self-doubt sounds healthy. Questions that come to mind: * Is there a healthy and an unhealthy kind of self doubt? * What's the appropriate amount?

You should doubt everything, completely, otherwise you will make poor assumptions based on incorrect axioms.

Re: Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

#18
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah some amount of self-doubt sounds healthy. Questions that come to mind: * Is there a healthy and an unhealthy kind of self doubt? * What's the appropriate amount?

You should doubt everything, completely, otherwise you will make poor assumptions based on incorrect axioms.

I would rather redefine don't make assumptions but don't doubt - just do to the best of your knowledge. Doubt takes you back , does not put you forward.

Re: Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

#19

Self doubt is a good thing. If more people doubted and considered their actions rather than maintaining the "I AM SO GREAT" attitude, and believing they are gods great gift and their actions are infallible, perhaps fewer shitty things would happen in this world.

As someone who has dealt with depression and self doubt for the majority of my short life, I will say I would be much more terrified of a world where everyone had the outlook on life and self worth that I hold than one where everyone had an "I'm so great" attitude.

Re: Steps to Turn Off the Nagging Self-Doubt in Your Head

#20

Self doubt is a good thing. If more people doubted and considered their actions rather than maintaining the "I AM SO GREAT" attitude, and believing they are gods great gift and their actions are infallible, perhaps fewer shitty things would happen in this world.

Bu t at the same time, we need people who are dumb enough to believe they can achieve something because they're great. They tend to go first and, well, actually do stuff.

We need both those types. Unfortunately, history tends to favor the self-confident (and our current western culture maximize that ad nauseam)

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