The Teacher Burnout Podcast

41 3 Ways to Stop Doubting Yourself Now
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[00:00:00] Welcome to the Teacher Burnout Podcast, where we explore the challenges of burnout for teachers and share practical strategies to support teacher well being. I'm your host Barb Flowers. If you're a teacher looking for ways to prevent burnout or an educational leader searching for strategies to support your team, this podcast is for you.

Let's dive in. Hey everyone, welcome to the Teacher Burnout Podcast. Today we're going to be talking about how to stop doubting yourself. And doubt is really just a lack of confidence. It comes from a place of not fully trusting in your abilities as a teacher, and to break free from doubt, you have to have the confidence and belief in your abilities, and you have to know that you're a good teacher, and when you believe in your abilities, you'll no longer doubt yourself.

I remember being a teacher, and I constantly doubted my abilities. I didn't realize that that's what I was doing. But I was constantly changing things in [00:01:00] my classroom because I would read a book or a teacher would talk about something different that they were doing, and I would instantly think that what I was doing then wasn't good.

And it's so interesting now having a different perspective as a principal because I get to go in classrooms every day and I see so many different teaching styles and so many different personalities coming out in teaching. And not one is right, they're just different, and it's great to see that they're different, and kids get different experiences from that.

But I didn't realize that. I always thought there was good and there was bad. I didn't realize that it could look so different. I just thought there was best practice and not best practice. I didn't see that things could just look differently from classroom to classroom.

So today I want to help you stop doubting yourself and realize that you are good at what you do, and you just need to have that belief in your abilities. So I want to start with belief. I want to share a couple of [00:02:00] quotes on belief. First of all, C. S. Lewis says, We are who we believe we are. Theodore Roosevelt said, Believe you can, and you're halfway there.

And Henry Ford says, Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you're right. And I think these quotes are so important because you have to start with belief in yourself. To feel confident in what you're doing and to know that what you're doing is good. And if you don't have belief in yourself, then how can others believe in you?

So I really want you to focus on that and think about, you know, where am I not believing in my teaching abilities? So to do this, I like to use what I call the act. I'm going to explain how you can use ACT to stop doubting yourself and get better at being more confident in your abilities. So I want to start with the A, which is Awareness. So be aware of moments when you doubt yourself. Think about Specific areas of the school day that you doubt.

Is it a specific content area? [00:03:00] Is it, you know, working with parents? Is it differentiation? What specific area do you find that you're doubting yourself? Then, once you think about what those areas are, come up with about three to five areas. I want you to reflect. Are there any themes to those areas? You know, what were the same and what were different about each area?

Where do you notice that you have the most doubt in your job? Is it in classroom management? Is it in instructional decisions? Is it in communication with parents? Where do you notice that you have that doubt? Because once you have that awareness and you know where doubt is creeping in in your job, then you can target that specific area and work on that.

And think about what you feel insecure in and work on believing in yourself. So once you get your awareness, then we move on to the cause. So dig deep to really think about what is causing you doubt in that area. Identifying the cause is essential to overcoming the doubt. So think, is it a lack of confidence in a particular [00:04:00] skill?

Does it come from a broader concern such as People pleasing, or fear of how others perceive you, or fear of not being like a certain teacher, or just comparing in general to social media and other teachers that you read about, where does it come from? Explore whether it's a past experience. that contributes to your doubt.

Maybe it's a lack of experience if you're a newer educator that contributes to your doubt. And think about what these expectations or pressures are that are helping build up that doubt instead of making you feel confident in your abilities. Sometimes what causes us doubt are all the mandates put on us, or it could even cause us doubt when we just don't have a lot of time to stop and reflect on what we're doing.

So really thinking about the root cause of where this doubt is coming from is really important. And then the last tip is to talk back to that doubt, the T in ACT, talk back. So decide, are the thoughts you're having about doubt, are they fact or are they [00:05:00] fiction? So determine that, challenge the doubt, and determine is it fact or is it fiction?

Also, use colleagues. So, I like to share doubt with trusted colleagues. You could share doubt with, you know, another teacher, someone who you truly trust, who can provide you feedback. Also, I think it's really important to use positive affirmations or power phrases, because having these phrases readily available for you can remind yourself of what to say to yourself.

So when you notice that you're doubting yourself and you need to talk back to that doubt, you might not have the phrases to talk back to the doubt. So I'm going to give you some power phrases that you can use to talk back to your doubt.

So here are the power phrases. I thrive in challenging situations and always find a way to navigate through them successfully. Every challenge I face is an opportunity for me to showcase my skills and resilience. [00:06:00] I am not just capable of teaching, I am an exceptional teacher, and I handle challenges with grace and confidence.

Tough decisions are my forte and I handle them efficiently, ensuring the best outcomes for my students. I am unwavering in my belief in my abilities as a teacher, knowing that I have what it takes. to help my students succeed. So those are some power phrases that you can use to help you when you're, when you're focused on those negative thoughts.

Focus on these power phrases to, you know, make you reframe and make you think about what do you have to offer as a teacher. Think about what are those things that you're good at as a teacher. If you need to. Practice celebrating your wins. I think that's such a positive thing to do when we start doubting ourselves.

Come up with three wins for that day and write them down each day. You know, it could be the smallest win, but we have to be constantly finding the positive things [00:07:00] happening in our teaching versus focusing on the negative. So I hope that those tips were helpful. Just remember, when you start to doubt yourself, use the acronym ACT.

Use awareness, get to the cause, and talk back to that doubt. And if you want more tips, go to my Instagram at Barb Flowers Coaching. And also, there you can get a copy of my free teacher burnout assessment. You can click the link in the show notes to get that, or you can click the link in my bio on Instagram.

If you want help finding your passion for teaching again, I'd love the opportunity to help you achieve your goals and work with you one on one. So reach out to me on Instagram or at barbflowerscoaching. com. Thanks for listening to the podcast and stay tuned for the next episode.