When is self-doubt useful?

[Abandoned Character]

I came upon this question a few years ago and I never really reached a satisfying answer. Self-denying and self-destructive thoughts pop into my head all of the time and I sort of lump most of them under the umbrella of "self-doubt." I figure that if I ignore all doubt in my head I would be a lot happier. This brings about the question, is there a time when self-doubt is useful? Most definitely when one is pondering to do something stupid, the rational might is right to butt in and make itself known.

So, there are some moments where self-doubt is useful, but there are many moments where its the personality's way of sabotaging itself. How do you identify when it is one way or the other? What is your experience with this elusive character of self-doubt?

 

[coolgal82]

i have so much self doubt i hate it lmao i wish i could just stop it like idk if its ever useful for me lmao? maybe it has been in ways i havent noticed but idk. im sure it definitely can for others but for me idk

 

[UnnervedCompany]

It's useful when you use it for improvement. Example: "This math exam is going to be so hard unless I put all my effort on it." There is a limit to confidence were it becomes just detrimental to your life if you are confident without reason/logic. Self doubt allows someone to become not confident of themselves due to logical reasons just to improve yourself so you can be confident of yourself for proper reason.

Hopefully I made sense its like 12 am my brain's fried studying for exams.

 

[Warlord's Pulse]

I would say it's useful when you know you're not proficient in some field

 

[Pluto]

 

[The_Hunter]

It's useful if you want to avoid a major social "faux pas", a mistake that would have significant consequences. Like making an edgy joke towards an important person, or when it's grossly inappropiate. Having a bit of self-doubt and restraint there is good, it saves you from the consequences of that mistake.

But having too much can well, get to the point where you're not able to talk confidently enough to build good social rapport, and feel insecure in social spaces.

I came upon this question a few years ago and I never really reached a satisfying answer. Self-denying and self-destructive thoughts pop into my head all of the time and I sort of lump most of them under the umbrella of "self-doubt." I figure that if I ignore all doubt in my head I would be a lot happier. This brings about the question, is there a time when self-doubt is useful? Most definitely when one is pondering to do something stupid, the rational might is right to butt in and make itself known.

So, there are some moments where self-doubt is useful, but there are many moments where its the personality's way of sabotaging itself. How do you identify when it is one way or the other? What is your experience with this elusive character of self-doubt?

I'm really sorry to hear that you have so many self-destructive thoughts. They are hell.

I am not you, so take salt with this advice I'm about to give. I can only speak for myself, but I hope this provides at least some degree of help. Something that helps me a little bit at least with whatever few thoughts of those that I have (usually just a quick thought of "KILL YOURSELF" over some minor regret, to the point where my mind makes it blatantly obvious it's overreacting), is to know that these thoughts do not come from any logical finding or genuine contemplation: but from pain. they are the cognitive equivalent of shouting "OUCH" when you get a wound.

Know that you are not your thoughts. no matter how many of them you may have. You get to decide which thoughts of yours you agree with, even if you can't control what thoughts you're having at all. I've heard it described like a river. You can just pick out whichever thoughts out of this river that you want to agree with, no matter how much other stuff is flowing past.

 

[The_Hunter]

I came upon this question a few years ago and I never really reached a satisfying answer. Self-denying and self-destructive thoughts pop into my head all of the time and I sort of lump most of them under the umbrella of "self-doubt." I figure that if I ignore all doubt in my head I would be a lot happier. This brings about the question, is there a time when self-doubt is useful? Most definitely when one is pondering to do something stupid, the rational might is right to butt in and make itself known.

So, there are some moments where self-doubt is useful, but there are many moments where its the personality's way of sabotaging itself. How do you identify when it is one way or the other? What is your experience with this elusive character of self-doubt?

I think a good distinction to make, is between "valid" self-doubt (based on reasonable, real assumptions, that line up with how life actually works), and "invalid" or "problematic" self-doubt (based on unreasonable, sudden assumptions—that are disconnected from how life actually works)

maybe one thing that could be tried is asking "am I gaining something from this? how is this affecting me?" and maybe when encountering a raw unwanted self-denying/destructive thought you could try to let it go by thinking "This thought is invalid because XYZ, I'm moving on and letting that voice scream in my head without giving it attention."

I hope you're able to have some level of control and peace against the chaos of intrusive thoughts. I experience some of them too, and from what I have known, they're not good haha. It's difficult. But our reason has got us all the way here, and I hope it can help us as it as helped us before, those before us, too.