How to stop being insecure at work in 3 steps

Even if a professional has vast knowledge, there are emotional and behavioral aspects that can impede their career development. In many cases, a person is qualified for the position, but suffers from self-esteem problems and needs to know how to stop being insecure in order to develop professionally.

It is not simple to acquire self-confidence , but contrary to what many people think, it is possible for anyone. This is because this is a behavioral pattern of the brain and getting out of it requires training and practice.

In this text, we will explain better why we feel this way, how it affects our lives and what to do to change this behavior at work.

What makes a person feel insecure?

Insecurity represents a negative feeling regarding the way someone sees themselves, and is based on beliefs related to past traumas and experiences. According to psychology, these situations end up generating a feeling of incapacity or uselessness, nourishing these negative ideas.

As a result, these thoughts manifest themselves in fear such as failure or being rejected. When it comes to work, these fears include fear of being criticized, being jobless, and making mistakes.

Everything, then, is related to fear, which is a natural and expected reaction of the mind. Fear, in many cases, is what makes us alert to potential dangerous situations. In these cases, however, it is as if we trick our minds into believing that these situations present great risks, when this is not true.

Of course, the fear of losing your job is real, but it is usually unfounded under the circumstances. However, insecure people see themselves as less capable, making them submit to what is imposed on them, without ever taking initiative or speaking their mind.

What are the symptoms of insecurity?

Everyone has the fears mentioned above, but what differentiates someone who is insecure is how much this fear manifests itself in their everyday attitudes. With this, it is possible to identify, through some behaviors, an insecure person. See the main features:

Lack of attitude

A person who can never make decisions and ends up only doing what others want is insecure. As she does not feel confident in choosing a certain path, she is more likely to follow what others say.

Feeling of inferiority

It’s common to think that “the grass is greener on the other side”, but insecure people always take this feeling to another level. They cannot value themselves in any aspect and think that others are better in any area of ​​life, such as work, love and friendships.

High procrastination

Because they feel incapable of doing something well and seek unattainable perfectionism, they often end up postponing carrying out their tasks, even the simplest ones. This makes the feeling worse, as it will probably delay deliveries and increase the feeling that you can’t do things right.

Isolation

This difficulty in dealing with social aspects can make insecure people prefer to isolate themselves. Thus, they avoid giving their opinions, making decisions or doing anything that triggers these fears. Therefore, they end up isolating themselves and maintaining a small group of contacts.

How to stop being insecure at work?

As we have seen, these characteristics above can negatively influence all aspects of a person’s life. In interpersonal relationships, it prevents you from making real connections or even facilitates submissive relationships, where you are unable to express what you feel.

It also has a negative impact on your career, and will prevent you from being noticed for possible promotions, even if you have the necessary qualifications. It also makes team communication difficult and will even hinder your development, as you will be unlikely to take risks or innovate.

See how to start changing this pattern in three steps and develop tools that help reduce insecurity:

Ponder your fear

As we said, fear is a natural response of the mind to a possible threat. But how do you know if this danger is real? Try to rationalize what you are feeling and understand what the real risks are. This can be as simple as writing down on paper all the possible consequences that might happen from this action.

Let’s say you want to share an idea at a meeting with all the company’s managers. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Once we stop to make this analysis, it’s easier to understand that there is no real danger. If they don’t like the idea, or if they have suggestions, this can also be applied to improve the work.

Embrace a challenge

Insecure people are unlikely to be challenged . But the consequence of this is professional stagnation that will prevent you from advancing, gaining new positions or applying for a job at your dream company.

You don’t need to create an impossible goal, but try to take on a moderate challenge that, despite going beyond what you’re used to, is still within your possibilities, such as Online education.

By taking online classes, professionals challenge themselves to improve their knowledge and dedicate themselves to something new, but they can still adapt this to their routine, take their time and measure social interactions according to what they can achieve.

Seek professional help

This feeling can be linked to other issues and even trigger mental health problems, so to develop the right tools and understand how to stop being insecure, also count on the help of specialized professionals.