Welcoming Change and Challenges with Confidence

Over the course of a lifetime, an individual can expect to experience a significant amount of change and challenges. Some are generally positive, such as births, marriages, and new jobs, while others may cause undue stress, such as the death of a loved one, relocation, the “empty nest” syndrome, or retirement.

How is your self-confidence holding up in these challenging times? While it can be challenging enough to maintain your personal confidence during relatively routine times, it can become doubly difficult to avoid giving in to self-doubt and uncertainty when life throws the unexpected at you. Whether it involves your personal or professional life, there are changes and challenges you need to confront.

Checking Your Confidence Level

Like many individuals, you may find that accepting change and meeting challenges can be a difficult proposition. Yet both of them are inevitable, being the only things constant in this world. You often find yourself opposing or resisting them because you are reluctant to step out of your comfort zone and let go of your old habits or lifestyle. When you feel confident, though, you become resourceful and less threatened by challenges. Without self-confidence, you become unsteady in your decision-making and feel confused to take appropriate action.

A lack of or low level of self-confidence can be emotionally and physically debilitating. This is why those who have this disability expect failure, leading to the extremes of overachieving or underachieving. It is expected to experience brief episodes of low self-confidence when going through changes or struggles. If, however, you consistently demonstrate the following patterns of thoughts and behaviors that can be considered as symptoms of low self-confidence, it may be beneficial to seek counseling to boost the level of this important feeling:

  • Explaining your actions – Do you always find the need to explain your action? Everyone commits mistakes, but if you have low self-confidence, you may feel the need to give reasons and explain your decisions, even if some of them are successful.
  • Blaming others – Are you in the habit of blaming others to take the responsibility away from yourself?
  • Giving excuses – Do you readily give excuses in your desire to keep people from thinking you are worthless?
  • Exhibiting defensive body language – Do you have certain body movements, language or gestures that intend to shut others out, such as crossing the arms or legs? These defensive postures exhibit anxiety and discomfort in many of situations or environments you’re in.
  • Needing other’s approval – Do you often need the approval of others to feel you’re accepted or know that people are pleased with you?
  • Staying in unpleasant situations or environments – Are you stuck in unsatisfying situations or negative environments, such as a bad relationship or unsatisfying job, because you fear change?
  • Worrying about the future – Are you more worried about the future and what bad things may happen, so that you’re unable to enjoy the present?
  • Feeling of shame – Is shame the motivating factor that drives you to look, act or speak in a certain way to please others or achieve perfection?

Even though you may want to make changes in your life, if you do not have enough self-confidence, you are bound to end up settling for less or allowing things to happen without doing anything at all.

Potential Reasons for the Fear of Change

It is natural to feel apprehensive about change. Sometimes, it is better to stick to a routine than to go from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Or, maybe your confidence is tied to your surroundings, or you feel more secure because you know what to expect. Whether you are forced or motivated to take action, some degree of change is always involved, which you may feel reluctant to welcome due to the following reasons:

  • Refusal to part ways with perks, possessions, and statuses acquired along the way
  • Self-doubt about your ability to confront the challenge of making changes
  • Fear of the unknown and aversion to changes
  • Too much focus on the external world around you rather than yourself
  • Diminishing the value of other available options

Keep in mind that you don’t need to settle for what happens when deciding to make a change in your life. If you have enough confidence to act in the face of change and challenges, you can have full command. Ultimately, you will find your purpose in life.

Welcoming Change and Challenges without Fear

Fear always accompanies any new change. It serves to alert you to take the necessary action to protect yourself from possible danger, harm, or loss. A high level of anxiety can interfere with your ability to maximize your interests and skills, identify the available alternatives, and focus on your goals. Fear and anxiety are the cornerstones of low self-confidence.

On the other hand, a moderate level of fear allows you to clearly recognize the phases involved in instituting changes in your life. With healthy self-confidence, you don’t easily become vulnerable to the opinion of others even if you fail. You can easily pick yourself up, evaluate the situation, look for a remedy, and start all over again. It’s okay to feel uncertain, but if you have self-confidence, you won’t feel like it’s the end of the world.

To overcome your hesitation about making a change, you need to confront your fears. This means taking risks. If it takes to delve into the unknown, be courageous to leave the familiar routine and try doing something new. All you need is sound planning, preparation and research to increase your chances of success. Knowing the unknown will lessen your fear. If your fears remain severe, there is probably the need to address your self-confidence issue with professional counseling.

Making Changes and Meeting Challenges with Confidence

Change often means giving up or letting go of something in order to move forward. It is often difficult because it could involve losing some sense of your own self. Sometimes, it can become the biggest block in achieving the change you want in your life.

You are the co-creator of your own existence, thus you have the ability to overcome whatever challenges come your way. You have the power to take your consciousness into a higher level where challenges are no longer hurdles, but opportunities to improve yourself and your life. The problem is that you may be faced with the same challenges that you tend to lose the motivation to confront the issue and overlook the potential lesson. Many times, these challenges become difficulties that can spiral you down into despair and frustration.

When you put off a challenge it doesn’t go away. Perhaps you tend to look for ways to go around the issue, or wallow in self-pity as challenges pile up. Whether they are big or small, challenges can be transformed into positive changes if you have the confidence to attract new opportunities and the resources needed to create the life you truly desire. The most important thing to do at this point is to meet what’s in front of you.

When life’s changes and challenges prove too difficult to face on your own, seeking counseling may help in conquering the issue of low self-confidence, whether you’re a teen or adult. Finding the help of the right counselor/therapist independently contracted with Carolina Counseling Services – West Fayetteville Office – Fayetteville, NC may be warranted to help you confront the changes in the midst of life’s transitions. In this way, you can become better equipped to welcome present and future challenges, and prepare for whatever changes they consequently bring. Call now for an appointment, CCS – West Fayetteville Office – Fayetteville, NC is always ready to help you.

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