Self doubt is something everyone feels from time to time, creative or not, and it has been something that has been keeping me from feeling motivated to outline and write lately. I do want to write, I really do. It feels like forever since I have sat down and just explored another world apart from our own, but the pressure to make all those words not just good but great is something I have been dealing with lately. Currently I am a high school student finishing up my grade eleven year, which means next year I have to start making choices about where I want to go next in my life. I know I want to be a writer, but that isn’t something you get handed to you even if you do go to post-secondary school for it. Since that is the case, I feel like I have to start going hard with writing and produce amazing pieces that I can actually build a career off of and that is exactly when the self doubt starts trickling in. My current thought process when it comes to writing is that if it isn’t good enough in that moment, it means I am not good enough either. Obviously I know that is not the case, and that writing takes lots of revising to make it readable, but as a student with expectations from others apart from myself I cannot seem to register that. Lucky for me I have time, but that doesn’t seem to help with my self doubt. I have been trying to change how I view my writing (or not writing) by doing these three things whenever I get stressed thinking about it:

1. Taking long walks
2. Reading
3. Listening to writing podcasts and audiobooks

These three things have really been helping me gain perspective and insight on my writing and future. The walks help me organize my thoughts, reading helps me refuel my creativity and give me more ideas for my own writing, and listening to a writing podcast or audiobook simply inspires me. I also have to remind myself that I can’t do it all. It is hard being a full-time student, a blogger, a reader, and a writer, trying to fit all that in each day. Slowly I am getting better at it but everyday is still a challenge because if I don’t succeed in it all, I am left with a bitter taste in my mouth that is self doubt. If any of you feel similar remember that you aren’t alone! Creative people everywhere face the same struggle as we do, and guess what, soon you will learn to diminish that little voice in your head that tells you you aren’t good enough, it just takes time. All you can do is keep creating and everything will work out in the way it is supposed to.

Thanks for joining me on this jumbled ramble and I hope you enjoyed it! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post where I talk about books that I keep putting off: Intimidating TBR Tag!

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