What is Lack of Confidence; Its Causes, Signs, and Management?
Healthful Vitality | 03/05/2022 | By NP Contributor | Lack of Confidence: Causes, Signs, and Management.
In general, if you have a lack of confidence, you will tend to think bad about yourself. That is, you might feel that you are not loved and not worthy of any achievements. In addition, you might be having increased anxiety and depression. In a long term, low-self-esteem can start affecting your day to day life.
Can the lacking confidence be restored?
At times, a lack of confidence can pull you away from achieving your goal. However, the good news is that realising that you have a lack of confidence can itself enable you to overcome it. Thereby, you can find and tackle the probable cause for your lack of confidence. As a result, you can be confident in your abilities and step towards success. Now, before diving into causes and symptoms of lack of confidence, we shall see what does being confident mean.
What does being confident mean?
If you are confident in yourself, you will be self-assured in your abilities. For example, you are sure that you can complete a task assigned to you. Also, you will be able to state your opinion even under disagreement.
In a wider sense, being self-confident denotes your optimism in your ambitions. Often, the term self-esteem is used interchangeably with self-confidence. Yet, self-esteem specifically implies your respect for your personality.
Now, we shall see the causes and symptoms of lack of confidence. Afterwards, we would also inspect the possible solution for the same.
What are the causes for the lack of confidence?
1. Genetics
Not rarely, lack of confidence can be predisposed by your gene sequences. Even so, efficient behavioural counselling can help to manage the lack of confidence. [1]
2. Negative childhood experiences
In many cases, some childhood trauma can haunt you for ages, stealing away your self-image. This, in turn, can prevent you from engaging in social events and competitions. In addition, faulty parenting practices can also have an impact on your confidence levels. [2]
3. High school bullies
Perhaps, you may have experienced severe bullying by your peers. By this, you would have experienced intense loneliness. Thus, you may have been introverted due to the fear of judgements.
4. Comparison based education system
As in practice, students are assigned ranks based on their academic performance. As a result, the entire students of the classroom are categorised based on their ranks. Moreover, rewards are assigned to the toppers. In total, this practice can elicit an inferiority complex if you fail to achieve the top ranks.
5. Traumatic life incidents, verbal insults, etc.
Maybe, you have been shattered by some unexpected life events. Let it be a heartbreak or an academic failure. If not that, someone might have bombarded you with some insults. As a result, it can impose a feeling of worthlessness on you.
What are the signs of a lack of confidence?
1. Not taking up responsibility
Usually, a lack of confidence can prevent you from taking up responsibilities. Also, you will not be ready to own your mistakes.
2. Avoiding crowds
In the long run, a lack of confidence can force you to run away from crowds.
3. Unable to bear criticisms
Yes, you don’t have to be upset by unfair criticisms. Even so, you have to evaluate constructive criticisms and make improvements if needed.
4. Being silent in group activities
Then again, silence is not always a sign of wisdom. Notably, you may be struggling from fear of acceptance.
5. Having a negative self-image
Mostly, if you lack confidence you tend to involve in negative self-talk. Moreover, you may also involve in self humiliating jokes.
6. Over anxiety
Biologically, anxiety is a part of the defense mechanism. Yet, undue anxiety can be a sign of a lack of confidence. [3]
7. Apologizing for no apparent reason
Of course, apologising for your mistakes is decency. However, a needless and excessive apology is a sign of a lack of confidence.
How to manage a lack of confidence?
By and large, a lack of confidence is can affect almost every aspect of your life. Happily, a lack of confidence can be managed effectively by some behavioural modifications.
Proper acceptance
Firstly, you have to recognise that you are lacking confidence. Then, you should try to find if there are any specific causes for your lack of confidence. If you can point it out, then work towards solving that problem.
Self-reassurance
As a rule, don’t over-rely on others opinions on yourself. Try to set your standards and work to achieve them. Also, always be kind to yourself. Furthermore, practice saying some phrases such as “I can do it” or “I am loved.” Likewise, you can also think of those who love you and your achievements no matter however small they may be. [4] For self-assurance, you can also try some self-confidence quotes.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy(CBT)
On the whole, CBT helps you in instilling a positive behavioural attitude in you. Overall, CBT trains you with practical ways of thinking to avoid negative feelings. Moreover, CBT has the additional benefit of helping you to cope with anxiety.
References
1. Roy MA, Neale MC, Kendler KS. The genetic epidemiology of self-esteem. Br J Psychiatry. 1995; 166(6):813-820, doi:10.1192/bjp.166.6.813. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7663835/
2. Xiang Y, Wang W and Guan F (2018) The Relationship Between Child Maltreatment and Dispositional Envy and the Mediating Effect of Self-Esteem and Social Support in Young Adults. Front. Psychol. 9:1054. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01054. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01054/full
3. Nguyen DT, Wright EP, Dedding C, Pham TT, Bunders J. Low Self-Esteem and Its Association With Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation in Vietnamese Secondary School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. Front Psychiatry. 2019;10:698. Published 2019 Sep 27. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00698. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6777005/
4. Barnard, L. K., & Curry, J. F. (2011). Self-compassion: Conceptualizations, correlates, & interventions. Review of General Psychology, 15, 289-303.