Belief is the conviction that something is true. It is a personal assessment that we can base on rational elements or an internal sensation. By having a belief about something, we consider that there is certainty about it.
I want to emphasize that this does not mean that this assessment of certainty corresponds to the truth. Certainty and truth are different realities.
The problem is that beliefs are similar to addiction. We are addicted to who we believe we are, leading us into a negative cycle. Being sure of who we believe prevents us from growing and does not allow us to see certain things from another perspective.
To better illustrate my point, I want to share with you a little story. It’s about the anxiety caused by something that was out of my reach.
I vividly remember one day after work, I got an email about my account being overdrawn by $176. I was so stressed! We had bills to pay, and we didn’t really have that much food in our pantry to last us through the week.
I cried and cried. I kept myself up at night for like a week straight, just replaying over and over again how I was going to fix this. Of course, I probably would have borrowed money from someone, but that was the last resort. Just thinking about having to call my mom and ask her to borrow money made me anxious.
I would do this for everything bad that happened to me. I would cry and cry and keep myself up at night worrying, and it could extend over several days.
Until one day, I decided this had to stop! This is where I challenged my belief system and tried, as much as possible, to analyze everything I think I was or could be and act appropriately.
My mental health was declining more and more as time went on, so I started repeating to myself and reminding myself that I had to have faith that everything was going to work out. I reminded myself that if there’s nothing I can do about the situation at that moment, then I refuse to stress and worry about it.
I would sit myself down, write out a plan in my journal, then let it go! As long as I had a plan, I knew it was safe for me to let it go in the meantime.
If something happens that is out of your control, and there’s nothing you can do about it right away, then here’s what to do:
- Worry about it a little (a little worry is good because it helps you figure out your options).
- Recognize that it’s out of your control, and there’s nothing you can do about it right now.
- Make a plan (Write it in your journal).
- Let it go.
There’s really no sense in stressing about something if you have no control over it. Don’t be hard on yourself if you continue to stress and worry. Having faith that things will eventually work out takes practice.
It’s not easy having faith in the unknown, and It doesn’t happen overnight. But with practice and continuously convincing yourself that you will figure something out and that everything will turn out just fine in the end, you will learn to have more faith and not stress as much over the things you can’t control.
After this story, I can only tell you that a lot of this is because we all have pre-established thoughts and beliefs. To break these habitual pre-established thoughts, we must constantly reinforce/introduce new experiences and ideas into our mental consciousness. Trying new things is key to developing a growth mindset.
I am here for you. Not only as a License professional can I be a major support to you, but I also add value by being a trusted advisor, coach, and spiritual healer. I support my clients where the support is needed.
