Why Building Inner Trust Matters (And How to Do It)

nicolemarzt
Oct 24
3 min read

Inner trust refers to the deep knowing that your emotions and needs are valid and deserve attention. It's a felt sense that you can rely on yourself to navigate life even during adversity.

That said, many people with mental health concerns or trauma histories struggle with the concept of trust. There is no doubt that trusting others can be hard, but trusting yourself may be even more challenging. This is especially true if you've experienced betrayal or struggle with vulnerability. However, regardless of your circumstances, it is absolutely possible to build this kind of innate trust.

Understanding Inner Self-Trust

Cultivating inner trust is like holding onto an inner compass. It's a compassionate relationship with yourself that allows you to attune to your own needs or experiences. Those with a stronger concept of inner trust know themselves implicitly. They are curious about who they are; they know what they like and dislike, and they have a sense of their place in this world.

Strong self-trust includes:

recognizing needs and aiming to honor them without self-judgment
making choices that align well with your values or intuition, regardless of what others are doing
coping well with mistakes or setbacks without spiraling into shame or self-loathing
staying present with intense emotions rather than disconnecting or abandoning yourself
knowing when to pivot from a certain relationship or situation

How to Build Self-Trust

Strengthening inner trust entails gently reorienting yourself to your own consciousness. Although people often confuse trust with confidence, they aren't always the same thing. You can feel insecure and still have enough trust to support you during vulnerable moments. Here are some important reminders to keep in mind as you open yourself to inner trust:

Allow Yourself to Spend Time in Your Own Inner World

Most people resonate with having a rich inner world full of thoughts, memories, dreams, and inner dialogues. Spending too much time here can sometimes reinforce rumination or overanalysis, but that doesn’t mean it’s a space to avoid. Your inner world holds wisdom, imagination, and meaning.

When you approach it with curiosity instead of judgment, it becomes a source of insight rather than anxiety. Allowing yourself to linger in this space nurtures intimacy with your own mind, which is the foundation of authentic self-trust.

Strengthen Your Emotional Literacy

Emotional literacy refers to your capacity to name and understand your emotions accurately. While it’s easy to say you’re “fine” or “tired,” those broad terms can mask what’s actually happening beneath the surface.

Learning to identify the nuances of your emotional world deepens trust because it connects what’s happening externally with what’s unfolding internally. Over time, you start recognizing patterns within yourself. For example, you'll see how skipping rest can trigger irritability or how the fear of rejection may evoke withdrawal. This awareness can help you respond intentionally rather than reactively.

Make Small Choices That Reflect Your Values

We all want to master the art of making big, life-changing decisions well. But if you lack inner trust, it may be more important to focus on the smaller daily choices first.

As you reflect on your current daily routine or rituals, ask yourself what feels aligned and what feels draining. Could you shift even one small behavior toward what matters most to you? When you make even subtle decisions that honor your values, you’re showing yourself that your voice matters. This compounds into a deeper sense of self-assurance.

Acknowledge Your Fears

Building self-trust can feel scary. If you've made mistakes in the past, it makes sense to doubt your own competence or intuition. You may find yourself looking for the wisdom or reassurance in others, and you certainly might feel afraid that you won't really know how to 'rise to the occasion' when needed.

Simply noting these fears is a big step. It means owning your own humanness. It also means that you're aware of the risks or even the resistance associated with having your own back.

Embrace Trusting Others

Although it may seem paradoxical, developing more inner trust sometimes requires learning how to lean on others first. This is part of healthy attachment. Humans are social creatures, and healing trauma often requires embodying the courage to connect well with others.

Through secure attachments, we learn how to co-regulate. This can be done with close loved ones (or even a therapist), but the goal is about tapping into social resources and community to feel accepted and loved. This, in turn, can be cultivated inward.

Increasing the Ability to Trust and Listen to Yourself at Resurface Group

Growth is always possible, and your past does not need to define your future.

At Resurface Group, we support people recovering from trauma, mental health concerns, addiction, and more. We blend compassionate care with evidence-based solutions designed to help you feel more grounded with yourself and others.