When Someone’s Words Make Me Doubt Myself

Someone else’s words can make me question myself. I may wonder whether I am mistaken or whether I am creating a problem simply because I do not know enough. But before accepting that doubt, I need to examine whether being pushed to distrust myself is healthy communication at all.

Do Not Treat Emotion as Evidence

When someone creates guilt, shame, or anxiety to shake my judgment, I can pause and question it. I need to distinguish between an emotion that helps me look at the facts and one that keeps me from making a reasonable request or speaking for myself.

I Cannot Begin Knowing Everything

I cannot begin with complete knowledge. Not knowing something does not mean I lose the right to ask for what is reasonable or to say what I need to say. I can make my own choices as long as I take responsibility for their consequences.

Change the Direction of Doubt

Instead of endlessly doubting myself because of someone else’s words, I can look at what those words make me feel and what choices they are preventing. I need to judge again through the facts I know and the standards I want to protect, rather than accepting someone else’s judgment as my own.