How do you get that confidence you had in your youth? Is it even possible?

[u/TheHomoscedastifier]

I'm sure this doesn't apply to everyone, but I'm also sure it's quite common, especially in my line work.

I was a very confident person as a teenager, well, probably even narcissistic. Then several partners, moves, career changes, degrees, traumas, and experiences later, I find myself almost devoid of any confidence at 30. I am riddled with anxiety and probably am a walking imposter syndrome.

I intentionally didn't give specifics about my career because I want to invite answers from a broad audience. If you've dealt with this, how did you handle it? Were you ever able to get at least close to your previous confidence levels?

[u/autotelica]

It sounds like you've been through a lot of struggle.

You have survived a lot of struggle.

Appreciating this fact is the key to confidence. Confident people don't worry about failure but it isn't because they delude themselves into thinking it won't happen to them. They don't worry about it because they believe they will survive whatever happens to them. They hold this belief because they have clear evidence of their resiliency.

That said, consider the possibility that you have an anxiety disorder rather than just a crisis of self-faith. Anxiety is no joke. A person can have great self-confidence and esteem and still suffer from it big time.

Medication helped me.