Building self-trust is not a one-time big breakthrough moment.
It's built in small,
Seemingly unimportant decisions that,
Over time,
Add up to monumental shifts.
Think about how you build relationships with other people.
You don't meet someone once and then immediately trust them with everything.
It takes time.
It takes shared experiences.
Moments where you see how they respond to people,
Places,
And situations.
That's how trust is formed.
It's the same with ourselves.
Sure,
We've been with ourselves since birth,
But many of us are just now beginning to truly know ourselves.
And often,
It's after years or even decades of acting in ways that unintentionally sent the message,
I can't trust myself.
It's not our fault.
These patterns have been passed down generation after generation.
But now we're here.
We're willing and able to make new choices.
And one of the most valuable,
Healing choices we can make is to start building trust within ourselves.
I want to share how I've been doing this in my own life,
In case it supports you,
Too.
I first realized how diminished or absent my self-trust had become by watching myself move through the day.
I would put on an outfit,
Then change to another,
And sometimes even a third.
I would start walking to one cafe,
Then turn and go to a different one,
Only to change my mind again.
I'd even plan to visit a place,
Feel really excited,
And then hours later,
Back out,
Just to regret it.
These were clear signs that I wasn't trusting myself,
Though I didn't recognize them at the time.
The constant second-guessing and zigzagging eventually created so much stress and overwhelm that sometimes I froze,
Unable to choose anything at all.
So I made a promise to myself.
I will go with my first thought.
That became my practice.
If I put on an outfit,
That's the outfit I would wear.
If I'm walking to a restaurant and feel the pull to go somewhere else,
I take a deep breath and remind myself that I'm sticking with the first plan.
If I decide to go on a place I want to visit,
I commit to it,
Even when doubt creeps in later.
I stay with my first decision,
Even when the urge to switch is strong.
I won't lie.
At first,
It was really hard.
My whole body resisted.
But with every choice I followed through on,
I felt a shift.
I became less anxious,
I didn't freeze as often,
And I even slept better at night.
My body was more relaxed,
No longer bracing for constant doubt.
That's it.
That's the medicine.
Not perfection.
Not always knowing.
Just gently honoring that simple act of following through on the first choice,
Even if it's a little wobbly.
So,
If you're trying to build self-trust,
Remember,
It doesn't happen through massive life moments.
It comes from daily,
Consistent follow-through,
Choosing and sticking with your decision,
Even when it's small,
And learning to trust that your first thought is good enough.
You're rewiring your nervous system to believe you've got you now.
So tell me,
Has second-guessing been part of your life too?
Are you trying to build more trust with yourself?
I'd love to know what you're practicing and what's helping you feel more grounded in your own decisions.
