Low Confidence and Anxiety: Why They’re Often Linked

My latest regular Ely Standard column is all about the link between confidence and anxiety. My article also appears in the Cambs Times, Hunts Post and Wisbech Standard.

Many people describe struggling with low confidence – hesitating to speak up, doubting themselves, struggling to make decisions or holding back through fear of getting things wrong.

What’s often less obvious is that anxiety frequently sits underneath low confidence, quietly shaping how safe or capable someone feels in everyday situations.

Back when I used to struggle with anxiety and low confidence, there were some situations where I felt totally fine, comfortable and self-assured. Yet, there were other times where I was caught in a spiral of fear, doubt and worry. I would avoid things, escape from things and work hard to disguise how I really felt. I would try to orchestrate things to make them feel more manageable for me and would worry about expressing my opinion in case there was any backlash that could make me crumble.

Sometimes you may be able to hide how you feel from others. Yet the same cycle of negative thought and feelings repeat internally over and over. You get that feeling in the pit of your stomach, your mind races as you think the worst, and the anxiety and doubt increase.

In my work as an anxiety specialist in Ely, I regularly meet people who feel frustrated with themselves for “not being more confident”, without realising how much anxiety and overthinking are influencing their confidence levels.

You can also explore the Confidence & Self-Esteem Hub, which brings together articles on confidence, self-doubt, impostor syndrome, fear of judgement and self-esteem.

 

Quick Summary

• Anxiety and low confidence often reinforce each other.
• Many people think they have a confidence problem when anxiety is actually playing a major role.
• Overthinking, self-doubt and fear of judgement can all reduce confidence.
• As anxiety settles, confidence often begins to improve naturally.
• Understanding this connection can be an important first step towards change.

 

When anxiety affects confidence

Anxiety doesn’t always show up as panic. For many people, it appears as:

• constant self-doubt
• overthinking conversations or decisions
• avoidance and struggling to do new things
• fear of judgement or criticism
• tension or unease in social or work situations

When anxiety is present, the nervous system stays on alert. The brain prioritises safety over clarity, which makes everyday interactions feel more effortful and confidence naturally shrinks.

Over time, this can lead to avoidance – speaking less, taking fewer risks, or staying within a smaller comfort zone. From the outside, it looks like a confidence issue. Inside, it often feels like a constant mental battle.

Your anxiety leads to lower confidence levels and that, in turn, makes you more anxious in certain situations. It becomes a self reinforcing cycle. This can also lead to patterns of anxiety and overthinking, where people repeatedly question their decisions or replay conversations in their minds.

If you’re looking for a broader overview of how anxiety shows up in everyday life, you may also find my Anxiety Support Hub for Ely helpful.

Many people assume they simply lack confidence. However, when anxiety is present, confidence often becomes harder to access even though the underlying abilities remain the same.

This is why someone can be highly capable at work, in relationships or in everyday life, yet still privately struggle with self-doubt and low confidence.

 

Why “trying to be confident” doesn’t always work

Many people are told to “push through”, “fake it” or “just be more confident”. While well-intended, this advice can feel unhelpful when anxiety is driving the problem.

Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone and getting used to new things does lead to increased confidence and self-belief. However, for many, it leads to more anxiety and frustration about the same old negative thoughts and feelings resurfacing time and time again.

I remember when I was younger believing confidence would simply arrive if I pushed myself hard enough. At school I would deliberately put my hand up to answer questions several times each day because I thought confidence would eventually catch up with my actions.

Whilst those experiences helped in some ways, I found the same anxious thoughts and self-doubt often returned. Looking back, I can see that confidence wasn’t the real problem. Anxiety was still running underneath it all. This is something I now see regularly with clients. When anxiety settles, confidence often follows.

Confidence tends to grow when the nervous system feels calmer and safer – not when pressure is added. When anxiety settles, thinking becomes clearer and confidence often begins to return naturally.

When confidence dips, it doesn’t mean you’re going backwards or failing – it often means anxiety and pressure have increased. With the right understanding, confidence can begin to rebuild and strengthen.

This can also explain why anxiety and confidence can fluctuate and return at times. Confidence sometimes improves for a while before dipping again during periods of stress or anxiety.

 

Real Client Experiences

Many of the confidence clients I work with initially describe their problem as low confidence.

As sessions progress, they often discover that anxiety, overthinking and self-doubt were playing a much larger role than they realised.

You can read some real examples here:

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Low Confidence and Anxiety

Can anxiety cause low confidence?

Yes. Anxiety often increases self-doubt, fear of judgement and overthinking, which can reduce confidence over time.

Why does my confidence disappear in some situations but not others?

Confidence is often situation-specific. Anxiety may be triggered in particular environments such as meetings, presentations or social situations.

Is low confidence a form of anxiety?

Not exactly, but the two are often closely linked and can reinforce one another.

Can confidence improve when anxiety improves?

Very often. As anxiety settles, many people find confidence begins to return naturally.

You can also learn more about Confidence & Self-Esteem Hypnotherapy in Ely here.

 

Understanding the link can be reassuring

Recognising that low confidence is often linked to anxiety – rather than personal weakness or flaw – can be an important turning point.

It explains why confidence can fluctuate, why setbacks happen during stressful periods, and why gentle, supportive approaches tend to work better than forcing change.

As anxiety begins to ease, confidence starts to return naturally. When the body feels calmer, the mind becomes less self-critical and more flexible.

Rather than forcing confidence, it can help to focus on:

• reducing baseline anxiety
• calming the nervous system
• interrupting negative thought patterns
• breaking cycles of self-doubt

If anxiety and overthinking have been affecting how confident you feel, support is available. With the right understanding and guidance, both anxiety and confidence can improve together.

About this topic:
This article expands on a recent column published in the Ely Standard exploring current trends in low confidence, anxiety and overthinking:

Low Confidence and Anxiety – Ely Standard

The article also appeared in the Cambs Times, Hunts Post, Peterborough Matters and Wisbech Standard.

You may also find How To Build Confidence and Self-Esteem helpful if you’re looking for practical ways to start building confidence.

If you’d like to talk things through, you can arrange a free initial consultation here:

Book a free consultation

To your health and happiness,

Dan Regan

Anxiety Therapy and Hypnotherapy in Ely and Newmarket

 

Could you use some help with your anxiety? Struggling with anxiety, stress, worry and fear and need some help? Find out how I can help with a Complimentary Anxiety Hypnotherapy Strategy Session. Learn more here: Appointments

Find out what hundreds of other people have said after their anxiety hypnotherapy sessions with Dan: Hypnotherapy Testimonials

And check out these popular and powerful hypnosis downloads that can start helping you right away with anxiety, confidence and more: Hypnosis Downloads