How can I challenge and reframe my self-limiting beliefs?

In this article below, revered consultant psychiatrist, Dr Sunil Raheja, tells us how we can identify our self-limiting beliefs, and how we can try to effectively challenge and reframe these negative beliefs and behaviours.

How can I identify my self-limiting beliefs?

Self-limiting beliefs come from our thoughts. It’s about developing the self-awareness to think about your own thinking.

How can I challenge and reframe my self-limiting beliefs?

Often, our thoughts that we have our repeated. It’s all about the power of the mind to re-engineer or restructure your thoughts. Simply put, your brain will do whatever you tell it. In other words, if I say to myself that I cannot do something, the brain will use all of its incredible power to try to prove to you that this is correct, that you can’t do something.

Obviously it works the other way around as well: if I tell myself I can do something, the chances of me being able to increase significantly and there is a great chance that I’ll be able to do it. Obviously, it has to be something within your specific personal frame of capability and potential.

How can I develop a growth mindset to overcome my self-limiting beliefs?

With a fixed mindset, it is very easy to say to yourself ‘this is where I am and there is nothing I can do’, whereas with a growth mindset, you’re saying to yourself ‘although I don’t know how to do this at the moment, if I keep persevering at it, a way will emerge.

A growth mindset develops by giving yourself permission to accept that there is another way that you can’t see yet, but believing that you will see it.

How can I surround myself with positive influences to support me in overcoming self-limiting beliefs?

The company that we keep has a huge influence. Studies have shown that the five closest people to you are the ones who will influence so much about your life. Interestingly, this research shows that you will be the average of the five closest people to you.

Unfortunately, so much of our world is filled with negative influences, particularly the media. If it sends us distressing news, they have a way of drawing us in, so we need to be careful about what influences we allow into our minds because this can have a huge impact on our mental state and mental well-being.

How can I use therapy and coaching to overcome self-limiting beliefs?

It is very hard to read the label from inside the bottle. When we are stuck in self-limiting beliefs, they are so natural and normal to us that we don’t even notice them. It is a good idea to start to gently challenge yourself and your beliefs about yourself that you’ve had for many years.

To book a consultation with Dr Sunil Raheja, you can do so via his Top Doctors profile today.