BELIEFS

Our beliefs determine our decisions, thoughts and behavior.

A client of mine who suffers from anxiety recently told me that his positive state of mind can turn negative if the slightest thing goes wrong. Over several sessions he has progressed by making good choices to alleviate the anxiety. He takes time before work to exercise and meditate, and he notices this helps him a lot. But if his daily routine is interrupted by some unforeseen event, his mind goes to a negative thought. His mood changes, and his day does not go as well as he had expected.

As we explored this, he realized that underlying this was a belief that, if things don’t go just as he planned, his day is ruined.

I asked him if he’d prefer to believe something different. Of course he said yes. When I asked him what he’d like to believe rather than the negative belief, he said, “Life isn’t perfect. I can handle this.” I asked him to repeat this to himself over and over, and to phrase it in any number of ways. After doing so, he said he realized that holding on to that negative belief – that everything has to be “just right” in order for him to feel satisfied – doesn’t make sense. It’s irrational. The relief in his eyes was clearly visible.

Just like that, in a few short minutes, he learned that he can change a self-defeating belief, one that was causing him anxiety, to a supporting, helpful belief.

If you suffer from anxiety, excessive worry and stress, you can benefit in the same way. If you’d like to know more, I’d be honored to be of service. Please feel free to call for a brief consultation at no cost. The number is 219-309-3928.

Thanks for reading!