Anne Andrew
  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • My Approach
    • In the Media
  • Blog
  • Online Course
  • Book
  • Contact
  • Gratitude

Negative Beliefs - Frequently Asked Questions

7/27/2017

0 Comments

 
​What is a negative belief?
Sometimes called ‘limiting beliefs’ or ‘core beliefs’, negative beliefs are the conscious or subconscious notions that cause us to doubt our Inherent Worth. They feed the self-talk that tells us we are not good enough, that we don’t belong, that we are unlovable or that we are weak and powerless. They undermine our confidence and derail our happiness. They cause us to experience unpleasant feelings and they drive our behaviour.
How do negative beliefs get started?
Until a child is six or seven they are egocentric in their world – meaning that they think they are responsible for whatever is going on around them. Whenever a situation arises in which a feeling comes up that is not one of love or peace or happiness, the child will assume that the situation as his or her fault. They must have done something wrong for the situation to be as it is. They may decide that they are unlovable or bad, guilty or weak, stupid or flawed – even though the situation has nothing to do with them. This judgment then becomes a negative belief, which drives subsequent behavior.
How do negative beliefs drive behaviour?
A negative belief demands evidence of its veracity. Once we have a negative belief we will seek evidence to support it. If I believe I am stupid, I’ll do stupid things to prove it. If I believe that I am worthless, I will notice every time someone treats me that way, but I may not notice when people treat me with great respect. Every time I find evidence, my belief is strengthened.
You may have noticed that some behaviors recur. Character traits such as perfectionism, contrariness, messiness or clumsiness are examples of behaviour patterns that are the result of the negative beliefs that drive them.
Is there an antidote to our negative beliefs?
Our negative beliefs combine to give us a snapshot of who it is we think we are - the small ‘ego’ version of ourselves. The antidote, then, is to fully understand who we Truly are.  According to the mystical branches of the major religions, we are spiritual beings; Images of God; inherently worthy human beings connected to the Oneness of the Universe, and the essence of our being is Love. In order to begin to deconstruct our negative beliefs we must replace them with knowledge of the Truth of who we are. This can be done by forgiving ourselves for believing that we are anything less than part of Oneness, part of God.
We can simplify this notion, and make it secular, by stating that each of us has Inherent Worth. Our awareness of having Inherent Worth serves well as an antidote to our negative beliefs. ​
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

     I know firsthand the emotional and financial costs of having a troubled teenager and I don’t want that to happen to you. That's why I wrote my book What They Don't Teach in Prenatal Class: The Key to Raising Trouble-Free Kids and Teens (available on Amazon). 
    My goal is to reduce the incidence of teen suicide and addiction. It can be done by challenging the negative beliefs that our kids develop in early childhood and helping them to become aware of their Inherent Worth. 

    Archives

    April 2022
    December 2021
    April 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017

    Categories

    All
    Behaviour
    Bullying
    Disordered Eating
    Gratitude
    Growth
    Happiness
    Inherent Worth
    Mindfulness
    Negative Beliefs
    Parenting
    Parenting Priorities
    Perfectionism
    Screen Time
    Self Esteem
    Success
    Suicide Prevention
    Tools And Tips
    Unconditional Love Series

    RSS Feed

get in touch

Email: anne@anneandrew.com      Tel: (1) 604 720 2776

Sign Up to my newsletter

Get information and articles about how to raise happy, mentally-healthy, and addiction-free kids! 
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • About
    • About Me
    • My Approach
    • In the Media
  • Blog
  • Online Course
  • Book
  • Contact
  • Gratitude