How I’m Learning to Trust Myself Again

For a long time, I second-guessed everything—my choices, my instincts, my abilities. I let fear and self-doubt take the wheel, convincing myself that I wasn’t capable, that I wasn’t enough, that I would somehow get it all wrong. And after enough time spent listening to that voice, I stopped trusting myself altogether.

Maybe you’ve been there too. Maybe you’ve made choices in the past that didn’t turn out the way you hoped, and now you’re hesitant to make decisions at all. Maybe you’ve relied too much on outside validation, waiting for someone else to confirm what, deep down, you already know. Or maybe, like me, life knocked you down so hard that you started believing you weren’t strong enough to get back up.

But here’s the thing: Trusting yourself isn’t about having all the answers. It isn’t about making perfect choices every time. It’s about learning to listen to yourself again, to believe that your inner wisdom is worth something. And it’s a process—one that I’m still in the middle of.

The Breaking of Self-Trust

For me, losing trust in myself didn’t happen overnight. It was a slow unraveling. It started with small hesitations, tiny moments of doubt that I brushed off as normal. Then came the bigger ones—decisions I avoided, opportunities I passed up, chances I let slip away because I didn’t trust that I was capable.

And then, when I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, that self-trust shattered completely. My body had betrayed me. My health spiraled out of my control, and suddenly, everything felt uncertain. I wondered if I could ever rely on myself again. Could I trust my body to heal? Could I trust my own decisions about my future? Could I trust myself to build something new from the rubble of what I had lost?

For a long time, the answer felt like "no."

Rebuilding from the Ground Up

But the beautiful thing about trust is that it can be rebuilt. It doesn’t happen in an instant, and it doesn’t come without effort, but it is possible. Here are some of the ways I’ve been learning to trust myself again:

1. Keeping Promises to Myself

Trust is built through consistency. Every time I tell myself I’m going to do something—whether it’s waking up early, working out, writing, or simply following through on daily habits—and then actually do it, I strengthen my trust in myself. It’s like proving to myself, over and over again, that I am reliable.

2. Quieting the Noise

For years, I sought outside opinions before making decisions. I didn’t trust my own judgment, so I needed reassurance from others. But the more I did that, the more disconnected I became from my own intuition. Now, I’m learning to sit in silence, to ask myself what I truly think and feel before looking for validation elsewhere.

3. Learning from My Mistakes (Without Shame)

A huge part of rebuilding self-trust is making peace with past mistakes. I’ve had to remind myself that making a wrong choice doesn’t mean I’m incapable of making good ones. It just means I’m human. Instead of seeing mistakes as proof that I’m not trustworthy, I now see them as learning experiences—opportunities to grow and do better next time.

4. Honoring My Intuition

That gut feeling? It’s there for a reason. Too many times, I ignored my intuition because I thought logic or external opinions mattered more. But every time I’ve gone against that inner voice, I’ve regretted it. Now, I make it a point to listen. If something feels wrong, I pause. If something excites me, I lean in. Trusting myself means trusting the quiet nudges that guide me.

5. Giving Myself Grace

Healing isn’t linear. There are days when I feel confident and capable, and there are days when doubt creeps back in. And that’s okay. Trusting myself again isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress. I remind myself daily that growth takes time, and that every small step forward is still a step in the right direction.

The Power of Self-Trust

Rebuilding self-trust has been one of the hardest but most rewarding journeys of my life. It has changed the way I make decisions, the way I handle challenges, and the way I see myself. I no longer feel like I need to have everything figured out to move forward. I no longer let fear paralyze me. And most importantly, I know that even if I stumble, I have the strength to get back up.

If you’re struggling to trust yourself again, know this: It’s not too late. You haven’t lost your ability to make good decisions. You haven’t lost your wisdom, your resilience, or your worth. All of it is still there, waiting for you to rediscover it.

So start small. Keep a promise to yourself today. Listen to your intuition. Learn from your past without letting it define you. And give yourself the grace to grow.

Trusting yourself again is possible. I’m proof of that. And so are you.