Mindset work is a big part of my daily practice. It’s also been part of my teachings for years. I’ve learned mindset work from a host of beautiful teachers while I studied yoga and spiritual practices over the years. What I love about mindset work, is that it helps support the nervous system, reduces stress, clears inflammation and makes space for growth in our lives.
Mindset work can look like:
- Noticing the thoughts that are coming up for you.
- The opportunity to sit quietly and breathe, no electronics, no distractions, just sit and observe feelings, thoughts and emotions.
- Noticing something from your past that may not have been dealt with that needs noticing, addressing, and working through.
- When in a difficult conversation or relationship situation pausing, breathing, and noticing your feelings before reacting.
- Shifting negative thoughts or limiting beliefs into neutral or positive thoughts.
- Taking a walk in nature, watching, observing and absorbing your surroundings.
- An intentional practice or prayer.
Really the options for mindset work are endless, and you can make it look however you like. The idea with most mindset work is to observe something that may be negative for you and shift it. Mindset work helps us to clear what is no longer serving us, helps us release limiting beliefs, and makes space for abundance and positivity in our lives.
Let’s back up a step…
What is a limiting belief?
A limiting belief, is a belief about ourselves or our actions that has a negative view point. Like… “I’m so dumb” or “I am not good at public speaking” or “I look fat in this”, or “I can’t do this.”
Limiting beliefs are thoughts, that are not necessarily true, that we assign truth too. And then they spiral in our minds. The key is to understand what is underneath these thoughts. Usually, it is fear. The thoughts aren’t productive. And it’s really us being hard on ourselves, because of that perceived fear. We all do this.
The trick is to know… we are not our thoughts… And we can shift these thoughts.
To shift these thoughts, I like to start with a reminder to be gentle with yourself (I remind myself of this too).
The next step is to bring awareness to the limiting beliefs.
These beliefs can hold us back. They can keep us stuck, and keep us in a negative spiral. This then can keep our bodies in an inflammatory and stress response.
To heal the body, is to shift the nervous system
We can’t heal when we are in a chronic fight – flight – freeze – fawn cycle.
As much as we may try to heal, stress can hold us back. It can be past, present or even future faking stress. It can be stress that runs like an undercurrent in our bodies. If our nervous system is running continually in the background, it can prevent our healing. Physical, mental, internal… whatever it is that may ail us, we have to shift the nervous system in order to shift our bodies ability to heal.
This is why I like mindset work. It’s like inviting the subconscious forward (which I know can be really hard). And then allowing ourselves to look at it from a different perspective.
My recent reframe story
I recently had been struggling with a few mindset things. I was being rather hard on myself, and dwelling on what I perceived as some business failures. As I sat with these “failures”, I realized that my fear was behind them. And my fear and limiting beliefs were driving them. I knew I was dwelling on things that were not serving me. And…I was allowing myself to spiral down a rabbit hole.
I wondered to myself “how do I get out of this loop”? How do I reframe this?
As I sat in the discomfort of this spiral…. I realized… that of course the things that I perceived as failures in my life also had success within them… and when I was able to be gentle with myself, and look at myself with a kinder lens, I could even see that some of them were successes… period.
As I pondered this…. I started writing… and I created this exercise for myself…maybe it would be helpful to you?
I looked at the perceived failure that I had attached limiting beliefs to, and wrote them down. I wrote down the ugly that I perceived around it… and I wrote more, and more. And then I paused… and asked myself if this was actually true. And it wasn’t.
Sure… there were fails within the situation I was exploring. But it wasn’t ALL a failure. And in actuality, there were SO many positives and successes in the situation as well.
I wrote the positives on one side of a piece of paper, and the negatives on the other side.
I wrote, and I wrote, and I wrote… to help my brain reframe what it was spiraling with. I wrote to let go of my limiting beliefs around the situation, and to allow myself to sit with the amazing list of positives that I drew from that situation.
I wrote about what I learned, what I wanted to take with me, and what I wanted to release.
Then… I took the piece of paper I had written this on. I tore it in half, and I safely burned 🔥 the side that contained the limiting beliefs (perceived failures & negatives) releasing them into the ethers! My friend Tracy called this “The Burn 🔥 Book” I love that!
And lastly… I kept the “Positives List”. So when my mind drifts again, and those limiting beliefs start to creep back up… I can look at it, and remind myself that I am successful and there were positives.
Here are a few examples of things you could write about and shift your mindset:
- A job or career change, shift or end
- A relationship or marriage ending
- A friendship ending
- A project that didn’t go as you had hoped
- Something that you perceived as a failure, that really wasn’t, but maybe that is what society assigns to a situation like that.
- Really whatever you like you can write about and reframe
Rejection is redirection
I love this quote… “rejection is redirection” (I can’t recall who it’s from, but I believe I have heard Gabby Bernstein say it) and it’s sometimes hard to sit with… and… it is an amazing reframe for those difficult moments. So keep this in mind when you are reframing any negatives you are dealing with.
Directions on how to “Reframe Limiting Beliefs or a Perceived Failure”:
- Write, write, write all the negatives that come to mind on one side of a piece of paper from this situation.
- Write, write and write all the positives that come to mind on the other side of the paper, and then write more!
- Write any action items you feel you need to take around this issue (there may or may not be any) at the bottom of the paper to help you shift it, to help you reframe, or maybe even to give yourself closure (remember closure doesn’t have to invite the other person into the situation).
- Cut or tear the negatives off the page, creating your “Burn Book” and in a safe container burn and release the limiting beliefs/ negatives back to the universe to help you repurpose them.
Oh! And also… if you’d like to do this on a worksheet…because who doesn’t love a worksheet?
Here you go! Click below for a free download!
Ooooooh… and I created a few different color ways for you! Enjoy!
I hope this helps you connect to some mindset work. Remember to treat yourself gently, while being supportive of yourself.
Nourishment is such an important part of a self care routine.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
