How Does EFT Tapping Help In Dealing With Doubt And Insecurity?
EFT Tapping For doubt and insecurity
There are some moments in life where you doubt yourself and question your abilities, “Will I be able to do it?” These feelings of self-doubt and insecurity prevent you from living up to your full potential. In this blog, I will teach you how to deal with self-doubt and insecurity using EFT Tapping techniques.
Have you been struggling with self-doubt and insecurity in your life?
Well, do you want to know a little secret about me?
So, the secret is that I appear to be a very confident person: I know what I am doing, and I know my craft, but I am no stranger to lacking self-doubt and to feeling insecure.
I do have confidence and a sense of intuitive flow, but just like anybody else, there have been moments in my life when I have found myself gripped by insecurity, self-doubt, second-guessing, not trusting myself, and not believing myself.
All human beings experience self-doubt and insecurity at some point in their lives, especially before going for something as important as a job interview or a date. You will get nervous and will start doubting the outcomes already,
- Will things go fine?
- I know I will mess it up again, what shall I do now?
- Oh, I am so scared. What will I do in life?
As humans, it is normal to experience these feelings sometimes. But the truth is that you may be struggling with doubt and insecurity almost every day, and in that case, it would be stopping you from growing and achieving your goals in life.
WHAT IS DOUBT AND INSECURITY?
Doubt is a mental state in which the mind remains suspended between two or more contradictory propositions, unable to be certain of any of them.
Doubt occurs where you are not able to make a decision about what to do, because they maybe massive or overwhelming decisions.
- “Do I stay in this marriage or do I leave the marriage?”
- “Do I take this job or do I not take this job?”
- “Do I let my child know or do I not let my child know?”
There are two contradictory states and often one lacks the self-confidence to do the right thing. It is easier to act out of fear than it is to act out of a sense of what is the right thing to do for yourself.
Now, self-doubt can be understood as a feeling of uncertainty regarding one or more aspects of the self, such as confidence or likability.
It's like you are at the base of the mountain, and you know you can do it, even the people with you know you can do it, but invariably you can hear that tiny little voice in your head.
- Can I do it? What if I cannot do it? I feel scared.
- It's really scary, am I going to make it?
“Doubt kills more than failure ever will."
suzy kassem
No matter how much friends or family cheer you up when gripped with self-doubt, the only person that can make that journey is you.
You always have a choice, because the truth is that at the root of self-doubt is some kind of fear. Humans hide behind self-doubt. “Is my love of taking that step more than my love of staying stationary?”
There is also another form of self-doubt, and that is questioning yourself, particularly when faced with more than one option. “Am I doing the right thing? Is it the right decision? How do I know what the right decision is?”
I always say to people that if you are faced with a decision you are unable to take, what is the decision that would mean that you love yourself?
What is the decision that would mean that you have confidence in yourself? What is the decision that would mean that you are worthy of success and happiness?
So, if you have ever had anybody in your life that either put you down or made you feel not enough and if that included you, as in if you have been the one that didn't trust you, close your eyes and bring them in your awareness now.
Maybe it was society, maybe it was culture, maybe it was a person. Tell them that you believe in yourself and that is enough.
Sometimes, self-doubt also presents itself in the form of gaslighting. Gaslighting is a form of manipulation in an attempt to invalidate your feelings or experiences. You may unconsciously gaslight yourself or be gaslit by others. As a result, you doubt your reality.
Some ways in which you gaslight yourself are:
- You continue excusing other’s wrong behaviour by thinking that it is all in your head.
- You do not trust your own judgement and hence have a hard time making decisions.
- You talk yourself out of your feelings by making yourself believe that it is not a big deal.
- You invalidate your feelings by thinking that you are over-acting or being too sensitive.
- You blame yourself for everything that goes wrong.
- You feel confused and constantly second-guess your memory.
Coming to insecurity, insecurity is very similar to self-doubt. Insecurity is a feeling of inadequacy (not being good enough) and uncertainty. It produces anxiety about your goals, relationships, and the ability to handle certain situations.
New to EFT? Learn how Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping heals.
Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping is clinically proven to lower stress, tension, anxiety, past-trauma to enable health, happiness and vitality.
imposter syndrome
Now, there's also something called Imposter Syndrome. I had no idea what Imposter Syndrome was, until about a year ago when I was launching my course on business and marketing for mental health professionals, and I'd asked them what prevents them from being successful in business.
I was quite surprised to know that about 20% of them said that imposter syndrome held them back.
So imposter syndrome is when you are genuinely good at what you do, but for some reason, you feel like it’s just luck and that it just happened by you by fluke.
Other people may think you're nuts in the brain because they look at you and see in you a capability to achieve anything. I remember my father telling me, “What the hell is wrong with you!”, whenever I would say that I can’t do something.
Imposter syndrome is an extreme level of self-doubt and insecurity that keeps you stuck and leaves you feeling frustrated because you can’t perform up to your actual potential.
Signs of Imposter Syndrome:
- Trouble accepting compliments and appreciation and believing that people are just being nice by saying that.
- Not believing yourself to be capable enough and feeling like you are undeserving of success or achievement.
- Thinking that you got that job or achieved that target by force of luck, and not your talent.
- Thinking that everyone else is so much better than you.
- Downplaying your own expertise, and underrating your performance even in areas where you are genuinely more skilled than others.
- Fear of being exposed as a “fraud” or no good.
I came across an Instagram post by Adam Grant, an organisational psychologist that said:
“Imposter syndrome is a paradox: Others believe in you, you don’t believe in yourself, yet you believe yourself instead of them. If you doubt yourself, shouldn’t you also doubt your judgement of yourself? When multiple people believe in you, it might be time to believe them.”
CAUSES AND EFFECT OF SELF-DOUBT AND INSECURITY
Self-doubt and insecurity manifest in the form of many other negative emotions and behaviours that act as hurdles in our process of growth.
Some of the consequences of self-doubt are:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Procrastination or lack of motivation
- Emotional instability
- Low self-esteem
- Low self-confidence
- Difficulty making decisions
- Feeling as if one has little control over one's life
Some of the consequences of insecurity are:
- Low self-esteem
- Perfectionism
- Self isolation
- Stress
- Poor job performance
- Depression or anxiety
Self-Doubt and insecurity are caused by a number of reasons. Some of them are:
THE CAUSES OF SELF-DOUBT AND INSECURITY
Self-Doubt and insecurity are caused by a number of reasons. Some of them are:
Childhood experiences
Being constantly criticised by parents or teachers during childhood, leads to low self-worth, and the child stops believing in himself/herself. Poor performance in academics or extra-curricular also leads to feelings of self-doubt. Being bullied or teased during childhood also leads to feelings of insecurity about self.
Comparing yourself with others
In this age of social media, it is very common for you to compare your life with the so-called happy and perfect lives of others. What one forgets is that what is portrayed is not always the truth. Not just social media, but also in actual life. Comparing your life to that of your friends or colleagues is bound to bring about feelings of self-doubt and insecurity.
Negative past experiences:
Having experienced failures or mistakes in the past also make one doubt their judgement and makes it difficult to believe in themselves.
Fear of being judged:
Often, you spend your energy thinking about how others perceive you or what they think of you. You doubt yourself because you make your worth dependent on other people’s approval.
HOW TO OVERCOME SELF-DOUBT AND INSECURITY?
Having known the causes and consequences of self-doubt and insecurity, let's see what can be done to overcome it. Here are a few ways to deal with self-doubt and insecurity:
- You are not the only one to have these feelings of self-doubt and insecurity. So many of us go experience thinking that others have it at all figured out. But that is not true. Talk about your feelings with a friend or a mentor.
- Learn to accept praises and compliments. Believe that people mean what they say.
- Stop aiming for perfection and be happy with good-enough results.
- Celebrate your successes, especially the small ones and know that you deserve success.
- Focus on making yourself better than what you were, rather than comparing yourself with others.
- Learn to take feedback positively. Use it as an opportunity to improve yourself rather than dwelling on it as a failure of yours. No one is perfect.
- Speak kindly to yourself. Positive affirmations are a great way to turn your inner voice of self-doubt into a confident one.
How To Self-Heal & Become An EFT Practitioner
Discover how EFT Tapping can help you to self-heal or to become professionally qualified as a certified EFT Practitioner. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping is clinically proven to lower stress, tension, anxiety, past trauma to enable health, happiness and vitality.
HOW DOES EFT TAPPING HELP IN OVERCOMING SELF-DOUBT AND INSECURITY?
EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique is a therapeutic tool that works on a holistic level by clearing the root causes of physical and psychological issues.
The aim is to balance the unresolved negative emotions that are stuck in the mind and body due to negative past experiences.
As you read above, one of the main reasons for self-doubt and insecurity are negative childhood experiences. With EFT, you can uncover all such experiences which you may have affected your sense of self and rewire your brain with new beliefs to feel confident.
The process of EFT involves tapping your fingers on specific points on the body, which are based on traditional Chinese medicine.
Along with tapping, a person is supposed to speak out specific statements related to the issue that he/she wants to resolve.
EFT Tapping has been scientifically proven to work on stress, anxiety, depression, phobias, cravings, weight loss, addictions, traumatic memories, any other negative emotions like anger, fear, guilt, shame, sadness, resentment and many more.
“It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.”
hanoch mccarthy
EFT TAPPING FOR SELF-DOUBT AND INSECURITY
EFT Tapping for self-doubt and insecurity is an alternative therapeutic method that has proven to be long lasting and effective. The process of EFT Tapping for Self-Doubt and Insecurity is given below.
EFT Tapping for self-doubt
Step 1
Take a quick temperature check
To begin, ask yourself the following questions. Take good time.
- How does self-doubt show up in your life?
- What has to happen for you to experience self-doubt?
- Who triggers self-doubt in you?
- When have you felt self-doubt before?
- What if you never doubted yourself, what would you experience?
Step 2
Identify the physical sensations
Pick specific examples:
- When have you experienced self-doubt before?
- How did it make you feel?
- What number is it at?
- Where in the body do you feel it?
Step 3
Start tapping on the side of your hand (Karate Chop)
Pick one of the situation and start tapping on the side of the hand:
“Even though I experienced self-doubt when ___________ and I can feel it in my ________________ and it’s at a number _____________ and it makes me feel _______________ I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”
Repeat 3 times.
Step 4
Tap on the facial and upper body EFT Tapping points:
Use the identified phrases to tap on the facial, upper body, and finger EFT Tapping points:
- Eyebrow: I feel insecure when...
- Temple: I feel it in my...
- Under eye: It’s at a number...
- Under nose: It makes me feel …..
- Chin: It’s in my...at a number...
- Collarbone: It makes me feel...
- Under the arm: So...
- Thumb: So...
- Index finger: Feeling insecure because...
- Middle finger: I feel it in my...
- Little finger: So...
Step 5
Complete the sequence by tapping on the side of your hand:
Close the sequence by coming back to the EFT Karate Chop Tapping points and repeating the setup statement once:
"Even though I experienced self-doubt because__________ and I feel it in my ___________ and it’s at a number _______ and it makes me feel _______, I deeply and completely love and accept myself."
Do this only once.
Step 6
breathe and relax
Take a gentle breath in and out, and have a sip of water.
Step 7
Test yourself
Test the intensity of your self-doubt. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What number is it at now?
- What happened?
- How does it make you feel now?
If the doubt has reduced to a level that you’re happy about, you can stop and close with positive tapping. If you feel the number could come down a little more, begin again from the first step.
Note: You can also tap on memories, and associated emotions that come up.
Step 8
Repeat steps 2-6 till the charge on what made you feel doubtful comes down.
New to EFT? Learn how Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping heals.
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping is clinically proven to lower stress, tension, anxiety, past-trauma to enable health, happiness and vitality.
EFT Tapping for insecurity
Step 1
Take a quick temperature check
To begin, ask yourself the following questions. Take good time.
- How does insecurity show up in your life?
- What has to happen for you to experience insecurity?
- Who triggers insecurity in you?
- When have you felt insecure before?
- What if you never felt insecure, what would you experience?
Step 2
Identify the physical sensations
Pick specific examples:
- What or who made you feel insecure?
- How does it make you feel?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, what number is it at?
- Where in the body do you feel it?
Step 3
Start tapping on the side of your hand (Karate Chop)
Pick a situation and start tapping on the side of the hand:
“Even though I felt insecure when _____________ and I can feel it in my ________________________ and it’s at a number _____________ and it makes me feel _______________ I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”
Repeat 3 times.
Step 4
Tap on the facial and upper body EFT Tapping points:
Use the identified phrases to tap on the facial, upper body, and finger EFT Tapping points:
- Eyebrow: I feel insecure when...
- Temple: I feel it in my...
- Under eye: It’s at a number...
- Under nose: It makes me feel …..
- Chin: It’s in my...at a number...
- Collarbone: It makes me feel...
- Under the arm: So...
- Thumb: So...
- Index finger: Feeling insecure because...
- Middle finger: I feel it in my...
- Little finger: So...
Step 5
Complete the sequence by tapping on the side of your hand:
Close the sequence by coming back to the EFT Karate Chop Tapping Points and repeating the setup statement once:
"Even though I felt insecure when__________ and I feel it in my ___________ and it’s at a number _______ and it makes me feel _______, I deeply and completely love and accept myself."
Do this only once.
Step 6
breathe and relax
Take a gentle breath in and out, and have a sip of water.
Step 7
Test yourself
Test the intensity of your insecurity. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What number is it at now?
- What happened?
- How does it make you feel now?
If the insecurity has reduced to a level that you’re happy about, you can stop and close with positive tapping. If you feel the number could come down a little more, begin again from the first step.
Note: You can also tap on memories and associated emotions that come up.
Step 8
Repeat steps 2-6 till the charge on what made you feel insecure comes down.
Here is an example of a positive tapping sequence that you can follow after following the above-mentioned steps:
"Even though I doubted myself, that was then and this is now. I am open to the possibility of believing in myself."
"Suppose somehow, I could believe myself, suppose somehow, I learnt to trust myself, I could extinguish all doubts and amplify my confidence that I have wronged in the past."
"I could learn to believe the genuine appreciation someone expressed towards me and extend my belief to encompass trust for my abilities."
"If I became my authentic self, if I became my true self, if I just didn't care too much about being judged, I could be happy and I could be the real me."
In the end, I would like to leave you with one thought: No amount of motivation or encouragement from others will help you if you yourself don’t believe in yourself.
Take your power back and quiet that doubtful voice with EFT Tapping!
Keep tapping!
Love,
Dr Rangana Rupavi Choudhuri (PhD)
P.S. Want to discover if EFT Tapping is right for you? Book a Complimentary Discovery Call.
How To Self-Heal & Become An EFT Practitioner
Discover how EFT Tapping can help you to self-heal or to become professionally qualified as a Certified EFT Practitioner. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Tapping is clinically proven to lower stress, tension, anxiety, past trauma to enable health, happiness and vitality.
In summary, doubts and insecurities are nothing but your biggest hurdles in reaching your highest potential. Why let them interfere with your life when you can take your power back? Use EFT Tapping for doubt and insecurity to get past your limiting beliefs and patterns and emerge into your new self, full of confidence!
Disclaimer: The information on this website is purely for educational purposes and does not in any way replace the requirement for medical and psychological diagnosis and treatment. Please do seek professional medical and psychological diagnosis and advice for all medical and mental health conditions. It is advised to always book any consultations with qualified professionals.
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