Tips For Letting Go Of Limiting Beliefs

Limiting beliefs are negative stories you tell yourself that can hold you back in life. For those with chronic illness, limiting beliefs can be a huge barrier to recovery. Unfortunately, doctors often tell chronic illness patients that they’ll be sick for the rest of their lives or that their condition is “incurable”—just because they may not have the tools to help you recover doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.

It’s so important to believe recovery is possible for you. This usually doesn’t happen overnight, but there are many steps you can take to help you get there!

Letting go of limiting beliefs can be a game-changer for those on their path to recovery from chronic illness.

Here are some examples of limiting beliefs:

• My situation is different. Other people might be able to heal, but it isn’t possible for me.
• I can’t go to the dinner. It will cause a crash and I’ll be in bed for days.
• I can’t exercise, it causes me severe symptoms.

Tips for letting go of limiting beliefs:

• Start with curiosity. Limiting beliefs won’t disappear overnight, but allowing yourself to be curious will start to create new neural pathways in the brain. Here are some examples of how to reframe the limiting beliefs above:
  • What if my situation isn’t unique? What if I can really heal?
  • What if I go to the dinner and it doesn’t make me crash? or What if I could go to a social event in the future without crashing afterwards?
• After allowing curiosity to set in, start to visualize yourself achieving those things you had limiting beliefs about. For example, envision yourself walking down the driveway feeling health and strong. Or imagine you’re at a social event feeling great during and afterwards. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between visualization and reality. Visualizing yourself healthy and strong will help signal safety to the brain. Learn more about brain retraining & visualization here.
• Whenever you notice a limiting belief or negative thought pattern, find a way to reframe it.
  • For example: You used to be an athlete, but became too sick to play soccer. You see an old photo of yourself playing soccer, and immediately your heart drops and you feel very sad. You think to yourself “I miss it so much. I hate that I can’t play soccer anymore”. Try reframing it as: Wow, I am so grateful for all the memories I have playing soccer. I can’t wait until the day when I can start playing again.
• Look for recovery stories to follow (trust me, they’re out there). Seeing other people recovering from similar situations can help feed that curiosity of “what if i could recover, like so-and-so did”.
  • Here are some great podcasts to check out for recovery stores: The Chronic Comeback, Our Power Is Within, The Nourished Soul Podcast
• Over time, your curiosity can turn into belief. For example “I believe I can recover” or “I believe I’ll be able to exercise again, and feel healthy and strong”
• Eventually, those beliefs can turn into knowing—for example “I know I can recover”.

Your core beliefs and thoughts truly impact your physical reality. Limiting beliefs and negative thought patterns signal danger to the brain, which can perpetuate the “survival crisis” state most people with chronic illness are stuck in. This can impact the function of your immune system, digestive system, cardiovascular system, and more. On the other hand, believing you can recover signals safety to the brain. This allows the nervous system to shift to a parasympathetic state of “rest and repair”, and can help the body’s innate healing process to begin.

There is a big difference between wanting to heal (everyone wants to heal) and truly believing you can heal. Remember, start with curiosity, then let that turn into belief that you can recover!

Follow along on Rachael’s instagram and YouTube channel for more nervous system regulation resources and tools.