What are limiting beliefs and how do they hold you back?
We all have an inner critic that whispers doubts in our ears. “You’re not good enough,” it says. “You’ll never succeed.” These negative self-beliefs limit our potential and hold us back from living our best lives. They make us feel stuck, frustrated, and powerless.
“Doubts kill more dreams than failure ever will.” – Suzy Kassem
But here’s the truth – Your limiting beliefs are lies. They are not reflections of reality or your true capabilities. The good news is, you have the power to overcome them with the right support.
Before I explain how coaching and therapy help, let’s examine some common spiritual practices and wellness trends that may be secretly feeding your limiting beliefs:
Spiritual practices that sabotage your peace
- Toxic positivity – Forcing yourself to “just think positive” while ignoring real emotions and challenges. This can make you feel ashamed of normal reactions and struggles.
- Spiritual bypassing – Using spiritual ideas to avoid facing unresolved issues, wounds, or developmental needs. For example, saying “everything happens for a reason” to gloss over injustice or pain instead of processing it.
- Unhealthy self-sacrifice – Overgiving and people-pleasing in the name of being “selfless,” while neglecting your own needs and boundaries. This reinforces beliefs that you don’t matter.
3 “wellness” trends to let go of now
- Perfectionism disguised as “self-improvement” – Constantly striving to “fix” yourself implies you’re broken. Bombarding yourself with self-help content can spur an obsession with being flawless.
- Comparison culture – Scrolling aspirational wellness influencers and measuring yourself against curated highlight reels. This breeds feelings of inadequacy and “not enough-ness.”
- Deprivation and punishment – Brutal fasts, cleanses, or intense exercise regimens framed as “discipline” that often come from a place of self-attack rather than self-love.
Why your self-care routine is failing you
Self-care is essential, but it falls short when it’s just a band-aid on top of unaddressed negative self-beliefs. If your inner monologue is harsh and critical, no amount of bubble baths or face masks will create lasting inner peace.
True self-care is the deep inner work of uprooting limiting beliefs and cultivating self-compassion. It’s learning to embrace all parts (the good, the bad and the ugly) of yourself with unconditional acceptance and love. This is where coaching and therapy come in.
How coaching helps you conquer limiting beliefs
A skilled coach is your ally in the battle against limiting beliefs. Coaching provides a safe, supportive space for you to explore and transform your inner world.
Here’s how the coaching process works to uproot limiting beliefs:
- Awareness – Through powerful questions and reflective exercises, your coach helps you identify the self-sabotaging thoughts and beliefs holding you back. They guide you to observe your inner critic objectively and catch negative self-talk in the moment.
- Exploration – Your coach prompts you to investigate the roots of your limiting beliefs. When did you first start believing these things about yourself? What experiences shaped these beliefs? This helps you realize your beliefs are not innate facts, but rather conditioned ideas you absorbed.
- Challenge and reframe – Your coach helps you examine the evidence for and against your limiting beliefs. They point out the distortions and faulty logic fueling the negative self-talk. Together, you craft new, empowering beliefs to replace the old, limiting ones.
- Integration – Through visualization, affirmations, journaling, and other exercises, your coach helps you cement your new beliefs. They guide you to anchor into the feelings and embodiment of your most confident self.
- Aligned action – Your coach works with you to set goals and take courageous actions from your new empowered mindset. They hold you accountable to “walking your talk” and showing up as the version of yourself you want to be. Each aligned action reinforces your new positive beliefs.
Coaching is a transformative process of coming home to your authentic self. With each session, you shed layers of limiting beliefs to unveil your innate brilliance, strength, and worthiness. You build self-trust and resilience to meet life’s challenges with grace.
The role of therapy in overcoming limiting beliefs
For some, limiting beliefs are rooted in past traumas or mental health issues. In these cases, therapy can be a powerful complement to coaching. A therapist helps you:
- Process unresolved painful experiences, so you’re not subconsciously controlled by them
- Understand how the past impacts your current beliefs and behaviors
- Learn healthy coping mechanisms and emotional regulation skills
- Improve your relationship with yourself through self-compassion practices
- Rewrite your inner monologue to be more nurturing and encouraging
Therapy provides the deep inner healing work that allows you to release limiting beliefs at the source. It clears the path for you to establish a healthy self-concept and move forward unencumbered.
You don’t have to do it alone – support is available
Overcoming limiting beliefs is brave, bold work. Your inner critic will fight to maintain the status quo. It takes commitment, courage, and consistency to forge a new self-image.
Having an expert coach or therapist in your corner makes all the difference. You’ll reach your breakthroughs and victories faster with a supportive guide shining the light forward.
If you’re tired of feeling held back and ready to unleash your full potential, I invite you to book a free discovery call with me. As a coach specializing in helping professional women conquer limiting beliefs, I’d love to be your partner in transformation. Let’s peel back the layers of self-sabotage and build the confident, fulfilling life your soul craves. Your most empowered self is ready to be expressed.
