Insecurity is characterized by feelings of inadequacy and insignificance. There are a host of things that can lead to insecurity such as experiences in life and interactions with specific people. Additionally, there are a variety of ways that one can take steps to eliminate insecurity and the negative impacts it can have on our mental, emotional, and even physical health.
One such way to go about this process is to find your independence. The following outlines some methods for pursuing independence as a means of combating insecurity.
Have a Plan
Planning is an essential part of establishing independence. Planning is simply a process of preparation. Planning involves critical thinking about what your desires and intentions are as well as the steps required to make those desires and intentions a reality.
Having a plan keeps you from feeling unprepared which can put you in a situation where you feel uncertain about your abilities and worth. When you have a plan in place it helps you to feel more prepared and capable, thereby leading to more confidence and less insecurity.
Set Goals
Goal setting can go in conjunction with planning as another means of establishing independence. Goals are the way we walk out our plans and track whether or not we are making adequate progress.
Goals also work to help us feel more equipped and prepared, which in turn boosts our confidence and makes us feel more capable. When the goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely we increase our chances of success, and that too helps to boost confidence in our abilities as we meet and even exceed set goals. In turn, we are more secure in our capabilities, feel more empowered to take matters into our own hands, and feel less insecure.
Think for Yourself
Another way to go about becoming more independent is to think and make decisions for yourself. Sometimes we can become too reliant on the opinions of other people. While it may seem helpful to allow other people to be in control, this actually robs you of your independence and makes you codependent on others.
Over time, you can find it difficult to act without the opinion or input of someone else. Being intentional about making choices and decisions for yourself helps you learn to trust your own instincts. In doing so, you become less reliant on others, gain independence, and eliminate insecurity.
Take Chances
While it can be scary to take risks, this is a strong way to work towards independence. When you take chances, it requires you to rely on yourself more than you might need to in other situations. This is because often when it comes to risks there are a lot of unknowns, so there is an inability to go to people because there is much that is left up to chance.
In the process of taking risks, particularly when the outcome is positive, you gain confidence in yourself and a sense of pride in knowing that you can trust your instincts to lead you in a positive direction. In doing so, you get rid of insecurities you may have about yourself and find your independence.
While there are many routes that can be taken to eliminate insecurity, finding your independence can be one of the best places to start. As you take various steps to find and establish your independence you begin to gain confidence in your abilities and yourself which helps eliminate doubts you may hold. In the end, this diminishes insecurity and allows you to live a more free and productive life.
