Life can occasionally serve us a challenge. This might take the form of a personal crisis, a separation, a bereavement, the loss of a job, the loss of a limb, or just about anything else. What qualifies as a crisis is largely down to the person suffering through it to decide.
In almost every case, personal crises can erode your confidence. After the crisis, you might not feel as comfortable as you once did, even doing simple things. Fortunately, it’s almost always possible to recover – if you’re prepared to work hard and take the right steps.
Acknowledging the Challenge
To begin with, we should acknowledge that a loss of confidence is not an unusual experience to have as a result of a negative life event. This is particularly true if the bad experience was partly a result of personal failure. If you’ve neglected your marriage and gone through a breakup, then it’s natural – and even healthy – to be more reflective and to doubt yourself. The same goes for road accidents, trips and falls, and job losses.
What’s important at this stage is that you acknowledge that your feelings aren’t unusual and that they will take time to deal with.
Start Small to Build Strength
The cliche advice in this situation is to take each day as it comes. This is good advice because it can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed. Try to focus on actions that will improve your situation and help you to avoid sitting around feeling sorry for yourself. Think of a new routine you’d like to adopt, and set daily goals that you can achieve easily. This might be as simple as spending ten minutes walking every morning.
Once you start to achieve these goals, you can push yourself further. It feels good to succeed – so make sure that you don’t set yourself up to fail.
Seek Out Safe Support
In almost every case, the support of your friends and family can be invaluable during times of crisis. In certain cases, the input of a professional counsellor or psychiatrist might be extremely useful, since the conversation they can provide will be structured and purpose-driven.
For victims of abuse, the pursuit of justice can be a powerful source of solace. It can help you to recover and regain control of your life. Abuse claims can be pursued on your behalf by a professional solicitor with the appropriate experience. In other words, you probably won’t have to show up in court.
Use Positive Habits to Grow
We’ve already mentioned the power of setting simple, daily goals. Certain kinds of daily goals can contribute to your well-being and emotional stability and help you to reflect on your experience and grow from it. These include mindfulness meditation, journaling, and exercise. If your chosen form of exercise has a social dimension, then the benefits might be even more considerable.
Reframe Setbacks as Progress Points
The challenges that life serves us can often seem overwhelming. But even the greatest of them can offer us a chance to change, grow, and become more resilient. Often, the struggle you go through is its own reward, as it alone can help to restore your confidence in yourself. Once you go through a rough patch, the small things are more easily shaken off.
Moving Forward with Confidence
It’s important to bear in mind that shattered confidence isn’t easily pieced together. This is a process that will take time. Make sure that you adjust your expectations accordingly and that you remember to take things day by day.