Working Through Your Limiting Beliefs

Do you feel like you aren't worthy of goodness in your life? Do you feel like you have no motivation? Do you constantly beat yourself up?

If so you probably have some limiting beliefs that you need to work through. This is the result of negative self-talk and can have a major impact on your self-concept and your mental health.

When you have limiting beliefs, you are prone to thinking badly about yourself, and you can easily get into a negative, downward spiral that gets out of control.

What are limiting beliefs?

Limiting beliefs are core beliefs about yourself that are negative. They set the tone for much of the way that you talk to yourself, and frame your thoughts in a negative way.

According to Better Up,

A limiting belief is a thought or state of mind that you think is the absolute truth and stops you from doing certain things. These beliefs don’t always have to be about yourself, either. They could be about how the world works, ideas, and how you interact with people.

“You have to be really arrogant to go into sales.” “The only way to get promoted is to give up having a life.” “You have to look out for #1 if you want to get ahead.” “You can’t trust anybody.” “If you win, I lose.”

Limiting beliefs can change your life, but not always for the better. They create self-awareness that stops you from chasing after your dreams, forming healthy relationships with people, and creating change in any area of your life.

Limiting beliefs stop you from being the best that you could be, and on following through on your dreams. They make you less than.

Many times these limiting beliefs come from childhood, and were things that your parents or other adults told you about the way the world works. These became core beliefs for you, and limit the way that you look at yourself and the world.

How do you find your limiting beliefs?

When I had a life coach, she told me to journal and do morning pages every day. This is a helpful way to get your thoughts out onto paper every day, and to tap into your subconscious mind. Many times while journaling you can tap into your limiting beliefs.

Also, you can find limiting beliefs based on what is triggering for you. When a situation triggers you, ask yourself, "so what?"

Yesterday I had a situation with my daughter where I felt like I was a bad mother. So I ask myself, So what?

So, I am a bad person. So what?

So, I am not worthy of love.

The idea that I am not worthy of love would be the core limiting belief. Another limiting belief would be, I don't deserve to be successful. Or, I am not worthy of having money. Or, I am not worthy of having a good life.

Now what?

So you found your limiting belief. Now what you want to do is challenge this. If you think you aren't worthy of love ask yourself, "Is this true?" The answer is no. Everyone is worthy of love.

Now that you have challenged your limiting belief, you want to reprogram it in your mind. You can do this using affirmations, and telling yourself the opposite of the limiting belief. For example, "I am worthy of love."

This is why I am so big on affirmations and post them daily. Affirmations are a powerful tool to help you change your negative self-talk with a positive message. They are especially useful if you say them looking at yourself in the mirror. This way, you get the feel of someone else telling you a positive statement.

If you keep trying to work on your limiting beliefs on your own and it isn't working, you may want to consider working with a therapist or a life coach. These are professionals who are used to working on these types of issues, and can teach you additional coping skills.

I have worked with a therapist and life coach in the past and found the experience to be extremely helpful. They can help you find negative beliefs that are at the root of your problems today. They can also help you work through childhood issues that may be causing these problems.

Conclusion

If you have a lot of negative self-talk, you probably have some limiting beliefs that are causing your negativity. When you feel this way:

• Ask yourself, "So what?"

• Challenge the limiting belief

• Say affirmations that are the opposite

• Work with a therapist or life coach

All these strategies will get you on your way to countering your limiting beliefs in your life, and help you mover forward with a more positive mindset.