Overcoming Self-Doubt: A Mindfulness Approach

(bright calming music) Headspace Studio. Hello, dear friends, and welcome back to Radio Headspace. It's Eve here. I'm so glad you're joining me for the final episode of this week. Hooray, it's Friday. So all this week, we've been exploring some of the common obstacles that can arise in life and in our practice. And today we're going to focus on doubt. Doubt can be paralyzing, but it isn't inherently bad. Just stay with me here. A little bit of doubt can be healthy. And this is a very lighthearted example, but I have a friend who confidently, almost arrogantly, loses a trivia night. She'll boldly assure the group that she knows the answer. And most recently, she swore she knew the five original gummy LIFE SAVERS flavors. So she scribbled down black cherry, pineapple, berry, grape, and lime, and ran it up to the judge. And she was shocked to learn. She didn't get a single flavor correct, not one. The five original flavors were cherry, watermelon, green apple, strawberry, and orange. Her unwavering certainty cost the team the championship, but the trouble arises when doubt takes over, when it keeps us stuck in indecision or makes us feel incapable. And it often sneaks in when we're stepping outside of our comfort zone. We are all experts at talking ourselves out of things. And while it's good to pause and assess if something feels right, more often than not, doubt stops us from taking risks, asking for what we want or moving forward. So when working with doubt, it can be helpful to reflect on past moments where you stepped out of your comfort zone and succeeded. Maybe you faced a big challenge or learned something you never thought you could. Those experiences remind us that doubt doesn't have to hold us back. It's possible to move forward even when we feel uncertain. And another helpful approach is to start small. Doubt often feels overwhelming because we think we need to tackle everything all at once. But when we take one small step at a time, we build momentum and confidence. And this is where mindfulness becomes such a gift. It reminds us that we can begin again as many times as we need to. A setback doesn't mean failure, it's simply part of the process. I experienced this firsthand early in my meditation practice. I constantly doubted myself. My mind would wander and I'd think I'm just not cut out for this. But over time, I learned that the practice isn't about being perfect. It's actually about showing up. And every time I noticed doubt and gently returned my focus, I was building resilience. So take a moment now to reflect where in your life is doubt holding you back. So I'll leave it there for today, and thank you so much for joining me this week. Take care and have a lovely weekend. (gentle lilting music)...