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We all have our moments of self-doubt.
By Christine Schoenwald — Written on Nov 30, 2016
We all have times when we feel insecure — it happens to even the most confident of people. One moment you’re sure you aced the interview and the next, you just know you tanked it.
The times when we’re at our most insecure is when we’re growing up and going through our awkward phases. Try feeling confident when you’ve got a mouth full of braces, thick glasses or acne and you’re sure that everybody is staring at you because you’re such a freak.
One thing that I’m grateful for is that I never have to be in 8th grade ever again. But even when we get older and become more comfortable in our own skin, we still have moments of self-doubt. Nobody is 100 percent confident all the time. We all have that one thing that can undo our self-esteem in the blink of an eye.
While we can’t get rid of insecurity completely there are things we can do to help combat it. You can see your self-consciousness as showing you vulnerability, which is a good thing.
Another thing to do is to remind yourself of the compliments and positive things that people have said about you in the past. If you’re focusing on your big ears, remind yourself that your friends and family are always amazed at how great your hearing is and how you’re always willing to listen to them when they need it.
You can avoid being around people who bring out your insecurity. There are those people who (albeit unknowingly) may make you feel less than and it’s OK to avoid them when you’re feeling insecure. It’s also OK to surround yourself with supportive people who make you feel better. If it helps you feel better when you spend time with your best friend, plan to see her.
Lastly, you can fake it 'til you make it. If you act self-confident, sometimes you can fool yourself into feeling secure about yourself. And sometimes, feeling insecure can prevent you from pursuing things that are good for you and that can affect your life in negative ways.
Here’s the secret insecurity that is holding you back, according to your zodiac sign.
Aries (March 21 - April 19)
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You sometimes get insecure about saying the wrong thing. Since you tend to act before you think something through, the same is true with what you say. You can get impatient, blunt, and lose your cool and suddenly you're saying the absolute worst thing you could say.
You're afraid this insecurity will make you mess up an important meeting or interview. If you just slow down and give yourself a moment, you may not get so nervous that you lose control of your verbal skills.
Read: The 13 Brutal Truths About Loving An Aries, As Written By One
Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
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You can get insecure about what you have when compared to someone else. You know that you've made your home your palace, but when you see some of the expensive things that your neighbors and friends have, you get insecure. Be grateful for what you have and remember you don't know what insecurities other people have; they may be envying your pizza oven or the way you always have bouquets of fresh flowers.
Read: The 5 Brutal Truths About Loving A Taurus, As Written By One
Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
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Your insecurity gets triggered when you see pictures of parties and events that you weren't invited to on Facebook. Not everybody can be invited to everything and it's not that the hosts don't like you or that they don't think you're an asset to a social situation.
You never know what factors influenced them when they made the guest list. If they're parents and they didn't invite you to their child's party, maybe it was because they had to keep the guest list small and only the parents of the children were invited. Don't take it personally or as evidence that you suck.
Read: The 13 Brutal Truths About Loving A Gemini, As Written By One
Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
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When you're feeling needy, you start to feel insecure that you're too much for the people in your life to handle. You need them so much and you're terrified of losing them, so your insecurity makes you hang on too tightly. Ease up a little on your grip and give them some breathing room. Saying some affirmations will help you to hear the many positive characteristics you have and convince you that you're worthy of love.
Read: The 5 Brutal Truths About Loving A Cancer, As Written By One
Leo (July 23 - August 22)
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You have a bigger than life presence, but sometimes you feel as if people think you're putting on an act and that you aren't being honest with who you are. The thing is you don't need to doubt yourself — you are that spectacular and people not only admire you, they like you. You're awesome and you don't need to front for people to know it.
Virgo (August 23 - September 22)
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You tend to get extremely hypercritical about yourself and once you're in that mindset, everything about you is magnified into a huge flaw. Stop aiming for perfection; no one is perfect and it's not healthy to put that kind of pressure on yourself. Appreciate your imperfections — they make you more interesting.
Read: 7 Brutal Truths About Loving A Virgo (As Written By A Virgo)
Libra (September 23 - October 22)
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You get insecure when you're feeling judged, so you try to avoid those situations by not putting yourself out there. If you don't try to advance your life, it will become stagnant and boring. Who cares if someone judges you? Ultimately, it's your good opinion of yourself that matters. Try to take action, even if it's small baby steps, and you'll be surprised at how much you can accomplish.
Read: 11 Brutal Truths About Loving A Libra, As Written By One
Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)
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Way down deep, hidden where no one can see, is your insecurity about your sensitivity. Yes, you have a very powerful and intense presence and no one would ever suspect that you have a very vulnerable side to you. It's OK to show it; it will only make you more endearing to other people.
Read: 14 Brutal Truths About Loving A Scorpio, As Written By One
Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)
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You sometimes get insecure about your intellectual life. You know that you're intelligent — heck, you enjoy talking about philosophy — but sometimes you feel as if certain topics are just not resonating with you. You may not know everything there is to know about math, physics, and critical social theory, but your openness to experiencing the world is better than a formal education. Trust that you are smart enough to hold your own in any discussion.
Read: 7 Brutal Truths About Loving A Sagittarius, As Written By One
Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)
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You sometimes feel insecure that you're not achieving enough, which is ironic as no one is as accomplished and hard-working as you are. You hold yourself up to sky-high standards and, amazingly enough, you meet them. It's OK to fail sometimes because you can learn a lot from mistakes, and sometimes it's those mistakes that lead to great discoveries.
Read: 7 Brutal Truths About Loving A Capricorn, As Written By One
Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)
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You love the fact that you're such a unique individual, but sometimes you feel insecure that, when it comes down to it, you're not special, you're just like everybody else. Rest assured, no matter what you do, you are one of a kind.
Read: 7 Brutal Truths About Loving An Aquarius, As Written By One
Pisces (February 19 - March 20)
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You spend so much time caring about what other people think of you and analyzing every perceived social mistake you've made that you start to get insecure. You don't need to win a popularity contest — the only opinion that matters is your own and the people close to you. Channel all your worry about other people's opinions into some art.
Read: 7 Brutal Truths About Loving A Pisces, As Written By One