How to Believe in Yourself When Life Redirects You

Believing in Yourself Through Mind, Body, and Spirit

Believing in yourself isn’t about pretending the hard moments don’t exist—it’s about choosing to stand tall in the middle of them. For me, it’s both a mind and body practice. On the mental side, I’ve learned not to dismiss negative thoughts but to recognize them, process them, and then guide my mindset toward a more hopeful outlook. Affirmations help me redirect: I affirm not only how I want to feel, but I also remind myself of the times when I have felt strong, capable, and at peace.

On the physical side, movement grounds me. Walking in nature brings clarity, while jogging or running feels like I’m pushing anxiety out through my feet with every step. And woven through all of this is my spiritual faith. Scripture keeps me anchored and reminds me that I’m never carrying the weight of my challenges alone. It’s in that balance of mind, body, and spirit that I rediscover the courage to believe in myself again and again.

When Redirection Feels Like Delay

After graduate school, I assumed the next step was clear: land the job I had worked so hard for. But life had other plans. When the job search didn’t pan out the way I thought it would, I packed up and moved back home. Within a week, I found myself starting a position with the highest salary I’d ever earned, and not long after, I got a call about another opportunity I’d forgotten I’d even applied for.

Looking back, that year and a half wasn’t wasted time—it was sacred redirection. It gave me space to be with my family, reconnect with friends, and even release relationships that no longer served me. In that space, I also pushed through and passed my licensing exam. Eventually, I made my way back to Houston, and the job I interviewed for there required every skill I had gained during that “detour.” What I thought was a setback was really preparation for where I was meant to go.

Redefining Self Without Apology

Redefining myself wasn’t something I set out to do with a checklist or a timeline—it was more like moving to the beat of my own drum. That rhythm had always been there, I’d just forgotten how to honor it. As I entered a new season of life, I began to release people and things that no longer served me. In their place, I leaned into a simple but powerful truth: I deserve good shit.

It’s a phrase I not only live by but also share with my clients, because we all deserve goodness—real love, peace, purpose, and joy. Redefining myself isn’t about reaching some perfect version of me; it’s about honoring the path I’m on and becoming more authentic with every step. Right now, I’m closer to the woman I want to be than ever before, and that feels worth celebrating.

Quieting the Voice of Unworthiness

When thoughts of unworthiness try to creep in, I don’t leave room for them to take root. Over the years, I’ve built a system of reminders that pull me back to truth. Affirmations surround me in every corner of my life—they’re taped to my desktop, written inside books, saved as my phone wallpaper, and sitting across my laptop screen. And every single day, I get an alarm that pops up and simply says: “Recite affirmation.”

It may sound small, but these intentional pauses re-center me. They remind me that my worth isn’t defined by the day’s struggles or yesterday’s mistakes. It’s steady. It’s non-negotiable. And the more I feed myself that truth, the quieter the inner critic becomes.

Leaning Into Possibility

If there’s one truth I want you to take from this, it’s this: you already have everything you need to win. The strength, the resilience, the wisdom—it’s all within you. Sometimes it takes redirection, redefining, or even battling thoughts of unworthiness to uncover it, but it’s there. Always.

The question is—are you willing to lean into the possibilities? To trust that the path unfolding before you, even if it looks unfamiliar, is shaping you into who you were always meant to be? Believing in yourself isn’t about ignoring the hard—it’s about walking through it with the confidence that you are already equipped for the journey.

If this message spoke to you, take it as your sign to pause and check in with yourself today. Journal it out, walk it out, or speak life into yourself with affirmations.

This is the very heart of what I share through my work, whether in therapy, The Invitation Journal, or my workshops. If you’re ready to go deeper in your own self-discovery and healing journey, connect with me at www.teatimetherapy.org or follow along at @teatimetherapypllc.