From Self-Doubt to Confidence: Identify And Overcome Common Mental Barriers

Oftentimes, our worst enemy turns out to be ourselves. When we can’t seem to move on from our weaknesses, we become our worst critics and hurt ourselves by not allowing ourselves to banish these so-called weaknesses or turn them into our strengths. These limiting beliefs or weaknesses are what we can call our mental barriers or psychological barriers.

These mental barriers are our internal negative beliefs and assumptions that we develop ourselves. More often than not, they can affect our feelings, and our abilities, and even influence our behaviors.

Not allowing yourself to let go of these negative beliefs can hold you back from moving forward in life and living the life you want to. You can learn to overcome psychological barriers by using different strategies and tools – some of which we’ll be exploring in this article. Let’s start by understanding the mental barriers that we commonly experience.

What Are Psychological or Mental Barriers?

There are certain limiting beliefs that we hold in our hearts that we create ourselves. When you are too engrossed in these negative thoughts and limiting beliefs, they can act as a barrier or a hurdle in your journey forward.

Here, for example, you want to finish writing the book you started years ago or want to take your relationship to the next level, but because you’re paying too much attention to the limiting belief you have for yourself such as “You’re not talented enough” or “You’re not good enough” – it can hold you back from taking the step forward.

These mental or psychological barriers can often show in your thinking, opinions, feelings, and even behaviors toward others. These beliefs can also be driven by fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear that you’re not enough, and more. Because of this, you may lose the ability to communicate effectively with others and yourself.

There might also come a time when confronting these mental barriers would be put on the back burner, but instead of avoiding it, try to face them headfirst. Some people can find themselves facing their mental barriers and coming out the other end successfully, but some may find them too challenging to confront head-on.

Before we move on to the ways to overcome psychological barriers using effective tools and strategies, let’s first take a look at the most common mental barriers we experience.

Common Mental Barriers You Need to Let Go,

Everyone, at least once in their lives, is faced with mental or psychological barriers, and while the circumstances and experiences may differ, here are some of the most common psychological barriers we are bound to encounter;

1. Self-Doubt

The most common mental barrier you’re bound to face is self-doubt and negative thinking. It’s common to second-guess ourselves or doubt ourselves from time to time, but self-doubt can become a problem when you begin to believe in them.

Self-doubt and negative self-talk can hold you back from moving forward in life and doing the things you want to do because you’re holding the belief that you are incapable, and lack the skills and talent to achieve your goals.

2. Fear

Again, this emotion is a common one that we experience in our lives. From the fear of failure to the fear of the unknown, it can be hard to focus on the good things. While fear can be a motivating and encouraging force to keep us out of trouble, it can also be the one thing that can act as a barrier and hold us back from achieving what we want.

3. Discomfort

No one wants to walk out of their comfort zone willingly – after all, it’s where we feel most safe and confident. However, discomfort is another common mental barrier that can stop you from making progress. When you choose to stay in your comfort zone and refuse to let discomfort in it can limit your ability to do things.

This is more like the fear of the unknown, where you hesitate to move forward because you’re scared of what you’ll face, and whatever it’ll be, you won’t be ready for it.

Breaking Mental Barriers: Ways to Overcome Psychological Barriers

If you’re looking for effective ways to break mental barriers and overcome psychological barriers that are holding you back, then here are some quick and easy ways you can overcome them;

1. Talk Therapy

One of the best ways (and effective!) to overcome psychological barriers is to seek talk therapy. Talk therapy can help you work on your limiting beliefs and change your thinking pattern. With the right techniques and strategies shared by a professional, you can learn to move past your mental barriers and break through them.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most recommended and effective therapy approaches to help with this. In CBT, you learn to challenge your negative beliefs using various tools and techniques to organize your thoughts, thinking patterns, and more.

2. Penning Your Thoughts

Another best way to break mental barriers is by journaling your thoughts and writing about your feelings. Once you do this, you’ll identify the common pattern and barrier that is standing in your way and where they came from. Journaling can also help you process your thoughts and emotions, release anxious energy, and work through your overwhelming feelings.

If you’re unsure where to start, then you can look at these journal prompts or journaling apps to begin.

3. Leaving Your Comfort Zone

It’s not easy to leave your safe zone but if you don’t leave your comfort zone, you won’t be able to explore what’s out there. Taking small steps can help you leave your comfort zone without feeling unsafe and overwhelmed. Allow yourself to face your fears and take on things or tasks you thought were out of your capabilities.

These small steps can help you understand yourself better and then once you’re comfortable with yourself and confident in your abilities, you can take on more and eventually grow more confident.

4. Being Self-Compassionate

Self-compassion means that you be kind and understanding to yourself as you would be with others. Your psychological barriers can make you more likely to judge yourself and be unkind and downright rude to yourself. So, allow some semblance of self-compassion and allow yourself to be kind and caring – towards yourself!

You can achieve this by writing down your thoughts and feelings without judging them or yourself for thinking so, allowing others to support you, and most importantly, changing how you talk to yourself.

Final Words…

Mental or psychological barriers are the limiting and negative beliefs that we hold in our hearts and which we create ourselves. These mental barriers can prevent us from moving on in life and achieving our dreams and goals. Not only can these mental and psychological barriers affect your personal life, but can also influence your professional life, social life, and even your self-relationship.

You can overcome psychological barriers by engaging in techniques such as talk therapy, penning your thoughts, being self-compassionate, and leaving your comfort zone to gain confidence.

Even after this, if you feel uncomfortable or unable to move forward because of mental barriers, then you can reach out to a professional counselor for help. A therapist or a counselor can help you work through your limiting beliefs and help you develop tools to break mental barriers and move forward.

I hope this article helped you understand the common mental and psychological beliefs we have and how to overcome psychological barriers for a happy life. Let me know what you think about mental barriers and share any interesting coping tips in the comments below.

 Take Care!