How to build self-trust

Discover how you can build your self-trust, allowing you to make decisions with more confidence, back yourself more fully and find your voice, so that you can live with a deeper sense of alignment, belonging and authenticity.

- JESSICA LEE

It's not always easy to trust yourself. In life there are often differing opinions, expectations and desires pulling you in opposing directions. It can be challenging to hear your own inner voice. It can be even harder to find the courage to allow intuition to direct your decision-making process. The more you trust yourself, however, the more your confidence grows and the more aligned your life becomes.

What is self-trust?

In their Psychology Today article, "Selftrust and how to build it", relationship experts Linda and Charlie Bloom say, "The definition of self-trust is the firm reliance on the integrity of yourself." They note that people who are self-trusting ... have clarity and confidence in their choices. They are interdependent, which includes healthy dependency, not overly dependent or hyper-independent. They speak with authority that comes from a deep place within but is not arrogant. They are good observers and have cultivated the ability to learn from their experiences, both the successes and failures."

I interviewed yoga and meditation teacher Naomi McGowan of Inner Resonance about self-trust and she said, "Self-trust is neither earned nor gained - it is innate. Self-trust arises from listening deeply to your inner wisdom and choosing (consciously or otherwise) to be guided by the sacred whispers of your heart. It can be forgotten, remembered, strengthened and rebuilt.”

I know I'm not alone in saying that haven't always found self-trust easy. Going through a chronic illness early in my 20s undermined my self-trust. As doctors questioned what was going through and didn’t always believe my experiences, too started to second-guess myself. stopped trusting what knew was happening in my body and my life.