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How to Overcome Limiting Beliefs That Hold You Back

An endless stream of self-doubts and limiting beliefs can hold you back from fulfilling your true inner potential in life, but what can you do about it? How do you unblock limiting beliefs that hold you back?

How to Overcome Limiting Beliefs That Hold You Back

“We learn our belief systems as very little children, and then we move through life creating experiences to match our beliefs. Look back in your own life and notice how often you have gone through the same experience.” – Louise L. Hay

Do you remember the last time the phrase came to your mind that sounded like: I can’t do this? Perhaps that thought surfaced up in your mind while you were doing your morning yoga, or maybe this afternoon at work, you found yourself: “I’m just not as good as them, so I will probably never get promoted. Sound familiar?

You are not alone. Trust me, even the most self-assured people had those fleeting moments when they were wondering whether  something they were doing or were attempting to do was “good enough” or if it were even possible for them to achieve great things.”

Sometimes this common lack of belief or negative self-talk can turn into a real problem. Negative self-talk combines your conscious thoughts with your unconscious beliefs and biases. And it’s a super powerful and effective way for your brain to interpret and process your daily life experiences. It’s often based on limiting beliefs formed from birth to the age of six through what you experience, observe, and what you’re told or programmed to think. It’s not a surprise that everyone wants to live a life full of joy and happiness and meaning, so what can you change today to think more positively and good about your wonderful self?

How do You Unblock and Get Rid of Limiting Beliefs?

1.  Change Your Self-Talk

When you are willing to make a conscious change and recognize that self-doubt is there yet isn’t allowed in the driving seat any longer, it is the BEST place to start.

Acknowledge what you are saying in your mind and ask yourself this: “Where has this limiting belief come from?”. And then shift your limiting beliefs into something more positive, accept what you need to release and what you need to come to terms with.

Writing this down in your journal is one of the most all-powerful ways to do this, as the element of releasing comes through when written down.

2. Examine and Challenge Your Negative Thoughts

Close your eyes and connect with your inner self-talk and ask yourself this: “What if I am wrong?  What if I am wrong thinking so harshly about myself?” Start checking in with your self-talk daily by listening carefully to its quality and what it’s saying.

The more you learn to recognize and listen to your inner critic, the easier it will become to understand where it’s streaming from, whether it is your inner child or certain limiting beliefs and programs you’ve picked up on your journey through life.

Exploring in-depth your limiting beliefs helps, but it’s also good to remember not to dwell on and reinforce these negative thought patterns. Instead, use a positive mindset to examine what you can think and do differently. The unconscious mind doesn’t process the negatives, so focus on what you want rather than what you don’t want.

3. Track and Release Unwanted Emotional Energy

This exercise will help you to uncover underlying negative emotions that are stifling energy flow. Lie down on the floor or a comfortable mat or rug. Breathe in and out slowly and deeply. Become aware of your body. Where are you holding tension the most? Where exactly do you feel discomfort? Pinpoint the place in your body and the feeling. Now try to exaggerate the feeling. For instance, if you are clenching your jaw, clench it a bit harder. What does your body want to do or say to you? Don’t overthink. Just let your body follow what it needs to experience. You might find yourself spitting words and phrases or find yourself curled up in a ball; you might lash out at a cushion; you might do nothing at all. Within safe limits, give your body full permission to do whatever it needs to express its repressed emotional energy. 

When you feel your body has had enough of this session, lie quietly once more and return to your breathing. Then stand up and stamp your feet to return to normal awareness. You may wish to write down what happened.

4. Shift to Positive Self-Belief

Did you know that your body senses it every time you think or speak negatively and absorbs it into your cells, muscles, tissues, and organs? It can impact all areas of your life, including work, family, health, and relationships. The more negative the thought, the deeper it goes. So changing how you think is a huge part of moving forwards in a positive way. Yet, just thinking positively doesn’t always cut it. Sometimes you need to use other powerful tools and techniques, like the emotional freedom technique (EFT), for instance, or matrix reimprinting to help reprogram negative self-talk. The good news is, with a few simple tweaks, you CAN silence your inner critic and remove limiting beliefs that were holding you back. Yes, you CAN.

Our internal narrative has a direct line to our subconscious, and it’s very persuasive. Positive thinking might be one of our greatest wellness tools!

photo source | adobe 

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