PART I: LIMITING BELIEFS AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM

IF YOU DON’T BELIEVE YOU HAVE LIMITING BELIEFS, THIS IS FOR YOU TOO

THIS IS A FIVE-PART SERIES. SUBSCRIBE TO NOT MISS THE NEXT ARTICLE.

WHAT ARE SELF-LIMITING BELIEFS?

Self-limiting beliefs are beliefs you hold about yourself, others and circumstances that put you in a negative mental and physical state and consequently impact your behaviour. They hijack your brain and sabotage your progress towards your goals and prevent you from reaching your potential. They form the basis of your self-image and your identity and have their roots in childhood, usually as a result of false assumptions or misinterpretations of events.

Examples include:

I’m nor smart enough

I’m not good enough

I’m too old to do this

I don’t have enough experience 

Remember that thoughts are not facts. They are ideas in your head. In this article series, I will give you seven practical exercises to strengthen your brain ‘muscles’ at 

1. Becoming aware of limiting beliefs

2. Understanding their root causes

3. Challenging them

4. Replacing them

5. Practise new behaviour that is aligned with your new beliefs

6. Give yourself credit for  any progress

If you don’t consider yourself a touchy-feely person, no worries. The process is very systematic and requires reflection. You only need to work through the exercises in order to create awareness and understanding of how beliefs form. You will not need to dwell on the past. Then I will give you practical ways to deal with your limiting beliefs in the next articles of this series. 

HOW DO YOU RECOGNISE YOUR SELF-LIMITING BELIEFS?

The first step to working through an issue and resolving it is to become aware of it.

Here are two easy way to figure out your self-limiting beliefs:

EXPLORE YOUR TRIGGERS

Exercise #1: PLAY BEING A PSYCHOLOGIST

Every time you are triggered, a self-limiting belief is being activated

1. Spot physical sensations of distress: tense muscles, fast breathing, shortness of breath, negative bodily sensations, feeling like there is a black cloud over you, difficulty concentrating

2. Notice your feelings: Do you feel rejection, hurt, abandonment, anger, frustration, shame, guilt, disappointment, stress?

3. Note the thoughts in your head. e.g., “my colleagues didn’t ask me to the meeting. They don’t value my input” “I always make silly mistakes”

4. Do your breathing exercises to calm down

5. Try to dig deeper. What is the belief behind your thoughts? e.g., “I’m not good enough for anyone” “I’m incompetent”

You could also do the same process by travelling in your mind over your life’s timeline and choosing a situation that triggered you recently.

EXPLORE YOUR UNACHIEVED GOALS

1. What is something you want  to do?

2. What is stopping you?

Your answer: I want to ______________  BUT _________________________________

3. Whatever comes after ‘BUT’ is your self-limiting belief

Practice recognising your limiting beliefs this week. Next week, we will explore their root causes. 

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK FOR PART II

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Abir Ballan is a Health Coach and a certified NLP and Time Line Therapy Practitioner. She has a Masters in Public Health, a Graduate Degree in Special Needs Education and a BA in Psychology. She is a children’s author with 27 published books.

Disclaimer: All  information provided by Abir Ballan is solely intended for educational purposes and is not a substitute for expert advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.