Self-limiting beliefs are enduring assumptions or perceptions that you hold about yourself, others and about the way the world works.

Usually they develop in our formative years in response to painful experiences. From these experiences we create our own, often skewed, generalisations about life.

These beliefs are precisely that: BELIEFS.  They are not FACTS. 

They are also self-perpetuating. Like magnets, they attract evidence that makes them stronger, and they repel anything that might challenge them.

These generalisations become deeply imbedded in our subconscious and then manifest as limiting beliefs that influence much of what we think, do and feel…

But, it is possible to change them.

The first step to changing them is to become aware of them.

How Do My Beliefs Hold Me Back?

Because these beliefs affect the way you feel and what you do, they are “self-limiting”.

In some way they’re holding you back from achieving what you are capable of. 

When we allow our lives to be shaped by these limiting beliefs, the behaviours that we adopt reinforce our own beliefs and so we become expert in creating our own self-fulfilling prophecies.

Developing Flexibility In Our Thinking

Overcoming our self-limiting beliefs and interpreting situations differently might not happen overnight, but a good way to start is to practise the skill of perspective-taking: trying to see a situation from another point of view.

The more mentally flexible we become the more easily we will be able to manage difficult situations and change unhelpful thinking and behavioural patterns that impact upon our lives.

In order to develop flexibility in your thinking when you experience a self-limiting belief, you can ask yourself the following questions:

  • “What is another way of looking at this belief/situation?”
    • Remember, your beliefs are not FACTS.  What evidence might there be against your belief?  What are the facts of the situation?
  • “What would a friend say to me about this?”
    • OR: “What would I say to a friend that thought the same way?”
  • “How would I respond to this situation if I had no fear?”

For example, “I’m not as good as other people” could be reframed as: “Although I worry that I am not as good as other people, I have always received positive feedback from my manager and was successful in getting this job in the first place.”. 

Here, you have challenged your belief with facts and evidence.

To find out more about how to manage Self-Limiting Beliefs and treatment options at The Fitzrovia Clinic, please contact us: hello@thefitzroviaclinic.com