Ep 25: Mind Matters: Transforming Beliefs for Peak Performance and Wellbeing
Episode show notes
Your reality is highly influenced by your belief systems.
And this is both positive and negative!
Positive if your beliefs are supporting you in your life and where you want to go and negative if they are holding you back and leading to destructive behaviors.
Beliefs are a fascinating topic that we will look at today in this episode because they are fundamental to our success and wellbeing.
And why is that?
Because what you believe shapes every aspect of your life.
From the way you interact with people, to the risks you take, and even how you respond to challenges.
Your beliefs are like the software running in the background of your mind, quietly but powerfully influencing every action you take.
What if I told you that by simply becoming aware of and reshaping these beliefs, you can unleash a version of yourself that's more powerful, confident, and successful?
As a coach and wellbeing specialist, I've seen incredible transformations, all starting with a shift in beliefs.
Hi ladies,
Last week, I had a very powerful session with one of my clients.
I guided her through an exercise where she could explore where in her body certain emotions, tensions, and memories were hiding.
This is called somatic coaching.
And through that, she discovered some very deep beliefs that had been influencing her during her entire life.
Beliefs about herself, about others, about the way she thought she had to show up in order to be safe.
And that’s exactly how beliefs work.
It’s like the body and mind decides in a specific moment, that this is how you need to think or behave to be loved or to survive.
Very deep stuff indeed.
And sometimes, it’s not enough to just talk about it, we need to explore it in the body and release the tension and memories that have been created.
It’s usually quite emotional to realize how they impact us.
Often, we're not even aware of these beliefs, or worse, we accept limiting beliefs without question.
Let's start by understanding what beliefs are.
The Power of Beliefs
Beliefs are the lens through which you view the world. They are formed from your experiences, culture, and the stories you tell yourself. Many of them are formed during your childhood.
Something that’s good to know is that you can have a super happy childhood and still form beliefs that are limiting you later on in life, so you don’t need to go through a traumatic experience to form those.
And you can have some very positive beliefs, even if you had a crazy upbringing.
We all have beliefs that are both positive and negative and these beliefs, whether you’re conscious of them or not, guide your every decision.
They can be the wind beneath your wings or the chains holding you back.
Another client of mine had a belief that she had to be perfect to be loved by her parents. This belief led to her pushing herself to the extreme, eventually leading to exhaustion. At the same time, she had a belief that she could do anything she set her mind to.
The Link Between Beliefs and Mental Health
Let’s look at the link between beliefs and mental health.
Starting with the negative ones.
Negative beliefs can be sneaky bastards. They creep into our minds, often unnoticed, and can lead to stress, anxiety, and burnout.
Here are some examples;
“I can’t say no because then people will not like me”.
“If I show any signs of vulnerability, I will lose respect.”
“I have to be perfect to be loved”
“I am not good enough as I am and have to constantly prove myself”
“Others’ needs are more important than mine”
I’m sure you can see how these will lead to a lot of self-sacrifice, low self-esteem, and overriding your own needs. Often leading to resentment, and maybe even exhaustion and burnout.
Positive Beliefs and Wellbeing:
On the flip side, cultivating positive beliefs can be a game changer for your mental health.
Believing in your own resilience, for instance, can support you through tough times.
Research in psychology shows that cognitive restructuring, changing your thought patterns, can impact your mental health for the better.
Positive beliefs could be;
“I am resourceful”
“I am worthy of love and attention”
“My needs are just as important as everyone else's”
“My self-worth comes from just being me, not from my performance”
“Saying no and setting boundaries is necessary for my wellbeing, and gives more respect, not less”
So let’s look at yours now;
Identifying Limiting Beliefs
1. Identify your limiting beliefs.
What are the stories you tell yourself, about yourself, who you have to be, act etc that are not serving you or that make you feel like shit?
2. Challenge these beliefs.
Ask yourself,
“Is this belief absolutely true? Can I think of instances where it's not?”
3. Come up with new beliefs
What beliefs would actually benefit me here?
This is not the easiest by yourself, but sometimes you can just think of the opposite of what your limiting beliefs are.
Then, of course, the last step is to start acting as if these are true. Acting as if, will support you to eventually start believing them.
And hopefully, you will start to get proof that the new ones are more true than the old ones!
Here's a challenge for you:
For the next week, journal any negative beliefs you notice and write down a positive counter-belief.
And let me know how it goes!
I've personally experienced the power of belief transformation.
I used to have all the negative ones that I mentioned, and becoming aware of them was an aha moment as to why I had been pushing myself so hard, eventually leading to burnout.
Today, I have brainwashed myself so much in a positive way through coaching and therapy so the positive beliefs are so much stronger.
And you can do this too!
Observe, challenge, and change.
You have the power to shape your reality.
As you might have noticed, I am now releasing episodes every second week. So the next one will be released on the 5th of December.
It will be an interview with a truly impactful badass woman leader, so make sure you tune in then!
Until next time, take care of yourself, and go be a badass!
And I have a special gift for you. From now until the first week of December, I will be offering a black week discount on my 90-minute strategy session.
With the discount code BLACKWEEK50 you will get 50% off.
In that session, you will get coaching on any topic you want, and you’ll have my full attention.
This is a great way to find out if we are a good fit to work together.
LINK TO BOOK YOUR SESSION HERE
Take care of yourself, and go be a badass!
