Happy Wednesday! I got home late last night and was trying to edit so I could post but my eyes kept shutting down on me. It was a tiring day. I didn’t do much physically but mentally, it felt like I ran a marathon. My mind and body needed a break so I listened.
I had a lot of thoughts coming at me and it was overwhelming for a bit. Sometimes it is good to have someone to listen to you because they can point out things you may have missed or show you where you might be limiting yourself. We create these false realities in our heads based on a wide range of beliefs, most of them learned as a child. If we keep our thoughts in our minds, they might get jumbled and make it hard to grasp. Being able to speak to someone allows us to make sense of it and put those thoughts into perspective.
A lot of times when we tell ourselves we cannot do something, it isn’t because we aren’t capable, it’s simply fear talking. We may be afraid to take that next step. We may be afraid of rejection, hurt, dismissal or feeling inadequate. We tell ourselves we can’t do this because of that and we can’t do that because of this but we don’t speak the truth. The funny thing is “if you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right”. When you tell yourself you are not capable of doing something, you are sending signals to your mind that limit your abilities. It’s like shutting the power off. Whereas when you tell yourself that you are capable, your mind starts working to ensure you accomplish whatever it is. You may not get it on the first try, but your mind will get more creative in order to accomplish the goal.
Sometimes we have limiting beliefs that we allowed others to place on us. Family, friends, teachers, or even strangers may have told us something that they believed about us and we believed them and adopted that thought. The higher we regard that person, the quicker we are to believe what they said. And I don’t believe they had malicious intentions when they said whatever they said. They may have been trying to help you and worded it wrong. The fact remains that these thoughts float around in our heads rent free and can cause self doubt.
It is important to identify your limiting beliefs and it can be hard to do so alone. It is absolutely OK to seek a therapist and work through your limiting beliefs together. If you’re like me, you can also begin researching on your own and make a list of the limiting beliefs you think you have and that could be a starting point with your therapist. The goal of identifying your limiting beliefs is so you can work on eliminating them. There are times where it gets really tough. Working on yourself isn’t always the zen vibe we think of. That’s why I always suggest working with a professional. They can assist you and help you through the darkness.
This week pay attention to how you speak when you are faced with a challenge. Do you hear yourself saying “ I can’t” a lot? Or do you avoid doing new things? I am challenging you to try something new this week. You can be honest and ask for assistance but the point is to push past the discomfort and anxiety. Is there something you have been wanting to try but have been hesitant? It could be a new recipe, hairstyle (nothing drastic), or maybe you always wanted to go to salsa classes. Give it a try. If you go to the salsa class and you don’t like it, you don’t have to go back. But what if you do like it? That opens a world of possibility for you.
We Have a great week! You got this!
MotherLovingDiva 