We can all have that feeling from time to time of being lost. It can start as a single thought one day, and before you know it, you are stuck in a mindset of depression, negativity and feeling that you have totally lost your way in life.

It can appear out of the blue or can creep up, a niggle here, a doubt there. Whichever way it shows up, it can leave you feeling paralysed with doubt, fear and indecision, almost trapped in your own life.

But the good news…yes, there is good news; this can sometimes be a sign from your mind that you need to make changes, and it can be the wake-up call to start moving forward in your life with positivity and purpose.

I understand where you are coming from because I felt like this a few years ago… adrift in my own life, like I had lost my purpose, my reason and I was unsure of which direction to go in…I didn’t know what I wanted I just knew I wanted something more, something different and I needed to rediscover the person who I had been before I felt like this.

And so I embarked on a journey to rediscover myself, to fall back in love with my life, to find my purpose and push myself forward in new, exciting ways that stretched and challenged me.

Have you ever scrolled past someone’s success story and thought, “Good for them, but I could never…”? If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Self-belief can feel out of reach when you’re stuck in self-doubt, but confidence isn’t a personality trait; it’s a practice.

“Why do I struggle to believe in myself?” This is a question I hear often, during coaching sessions with women who, on the surface, look as if they have life sorted.

They are ticking the right boxes and seem to be in control, and yet this question arises so many times…“Why can’t I just believe in myself?”

And if you’ve ever asked it too, know this: you’re not broken, and you’re certainly not alone.

The simple truth is, many of us were never taught how to believe in ourselves. We were taught to keep our heads down, not to get “too big for our boots”, and to put others first.

And while humility has its place, over time it can chip away at our sense of self if we’re not careful.

Another simple truth is, confidence isn’t something reserved for a chosen few, the winners in life; it’s something we build. It’s like a garden, with the right tools, you can start cultivating it, bit by bit.

Impostor syndrome can affect anyone, regardless of age, background, social status or intellect.

It is a psychological condition where people often feel like a fraud, doubting their achievements and always believing they will be discovered as a fraud, despite evidence of their abilities.

Impostor syndrome is often caused by factors, including personality traits, social pressures, and environmental influences.

If you are someone with high perfectionist values, you may set unattainable standards. This can lead you to feeling inadequate when those expectations you have set can’t be met.

There can be other factors, such as the validation of peers, friends, family or society in general, especially in the social media age we live in. This can heighten feelings of self-doubt when you are successful.

Culture and working environments can also contribute to impostor syndrome, such as the stigma around failure and competitive situations.

These individual experiences can appear as a persistent fear of being exposed as a "fraud," despite evidence of competence and accomplishments

Almost everyone will feel stuck at some time or other in their life. This is a natural state to be in and signifies that change is needed in your life. Most people will experience the same feelings emotionally and physically.