From Self-Doubt to Self-Worth: Building Inner Resilience for Professional Growth

The challenge

The presenting challenge for a Product Owner in an IT firm was her inability to genuinely accept herself. She was frequently plagued by an internal critical voice that blamed her for mistakes and weaknesses.

She reported not feeling enough and often compared herself to others, leading to a judgmental and harsh internal relationship with herself which impacted her job performance negatively. Attempts to suppress negative feelings only provided temporary relief, and the critical thoughts would return frequently.

The effect

The client described low self-confidence and a persistent feeling of being a victim to external circumstances. “It felt like how I valued myself depended on what was happening outside,” she said.

Despite wanting to care more for herself, she struggled to free herself from negative thoughts. She felt trapped in a loop of self-judgment, which impacted her emotions and behavior deeply. Before trying NLP, she had attempted to ignore or suppress her emotions, but this proved ineffective in the long term.

Solution

I worked with her for half an hour using a combination of NLP techniques. I used Bandler’s Spinning Technique to shift emotional states, Havening (as taught by Paul McKenna) for emotional clearing, and changed self image submodalities, alongside relaxation breathing.

Finally, I installed an anchored for the calm, self-loving state to help her access it easily. These techniques allowed her to rewire the old inner dialogue and respond with more kindness to herself.

Result

The client described feeling a deep sense of inner calm. “It’s like a new voice has formed in my mind—kinder, not trying to blame me all the time,” she said.

Two days later she reported experiencing a sense of emotional lightness and felt she had taken a genuine step toward loving herself.

With the anchor in place, she was able to access this supportive inner state during moments of self-doubt, leading to a more balanced and compassionate relationship with herself resulting in better focus on her projects.