How do you best cope with your beliefs? Self-concepts and beliefs hold tremendous power. However, not everyone knows how to cope with them and harness that energy. These tips can help.
Powerful Ways to Cope with Your Beliefs
When you cope with your beliefs, you have tremendous power. Did you know that your beliefs and self-concepts shape you? Naturally, you want this growth to be positive and uplifting, resulting in an enriched life experience. To tap into their power, first, examine what you believe about yourself and life.
But what happens when what you believe is a lie and your self-view crumbles? Undoubtedly, you can feel empty, painful, and devoid of the joy that comes from life’s simple pleasures. How can you recover from such personal setbacks?
It isn’t easy or quick, yet there is a way of dealing with shattered illusions, beliefs, and self-concepts.
Why Do You Feel This Way?
Take some time to examine why you feel so disillusioned. Your ability to cope with these feelings and emotions will help you turn them around and harness the power of positive beliefs and self-concepts.
- Were you harshly criticized as a child? Afterward, did this make it hard to trust your feelings or beliefs?
- Was there a disconnect between what your parents taught or demanded and what you believed? This kind of dysfunction is often the root cause of lifelong insecurity, low self-esteem, and lack of self-confidence.
- On the other hand, you may have a history of defeats in your career, school, or home life. This creates a perfect storm of an inability to trust your decisions and confusion about everything you believe. You might be so disheartened that you slip into depression or begin to experience a mood disorder.
Therapy Helps You Cope with Your Beliefs and Self-Concepts
Psychotherapy can help you get past the bleakness and hopelessness that often accompanies shattered illusions, beliefs, and self-concepts. Additionally, a professional enables you to distinguish between what is real and what you may mistakenly believe is true.
For example, if you think you can’t make any good decisions, your therapist can discuss with you things you’ve done that turned out to be sound decisions. Besides, therapists can help you examine and replace incorrect self-assumptions with more positive ones. This is something you are not always capable of doing.
Treatment may include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other therapies. You will learn to reframe your thoughts and turn negatives into positives, which can be enormously beneficial to build your self-confidence and self-esteem.
Find Someone You Trust Who Listens
There must be someone with whom you can confide. This should be someone who knows you well and how you’ve navigated difficult times in the past. You need someone who listens without judgment, offers encouragement when you need it, and is there for you to interact with and spend time together.
Additionally, your trusted friend will be there to support and encourage you as you learn to make the best decisions in the future.
Try Something New
It’s also helpful to identify an activity to pursue. Why? This helps you broaden your horizons and provides you with an outlet to express yourself and learn something new. Even if you decide it isn’t what you imagined, you are putting yourself out there and doing something proactive for your mental health.
To Cope with Beliefs and Self-Concepts: Challenge Yourself to Go Beyond the Familiar
Part of the problem may be familiarity. For example, nightly drinking, drug use, or doing risky things only makes things worse. It may lead to trouble in another way. So, coping tips may include the following.
- Take a different way to work.
- You could stop at another restaurant or market.
- Alternatively, consider going to the movie in a neighboring town.
- Additionally, take a drive through the country and stop at small shops to browse or grab a bite to eat.
Going beyond the familiar means seeing things in a different light, interacting with new people, and discovering places that delight you.
Enjoy the Benefits of Kindness to Others
When you do something for another person, you’re stepping outside yourself and your concerns. Being kind to others is a selfless act of generosity. However, both you and the other person benefit. Here are some examples:
- While you may not feel much like smiling, greet a stranger with a smile when you open the door for them on your way into a coffee shop.
- Say “Good morning” to those you pass on the trail as you go for a walk.
- Pick up your elderly neighbor’s paper and bring it to the house so they don’t have to retrieve it. While you’re at it, engage in small talk. It will likely brighten their day and yours.
Remember that kindness is a fundamental concept for achieving happiness. Being kind is a powerful way to be happy.
Create a List of Goals to Work Toward
Life isn’t a vacuum, although when you’re depressed and feeling worthless, it can sometimes feel like it is. Gain power and learn to cope with beliefs and self-concepts by creating a list of goals, priorities, and objectives that you are willing to work towards achieving.
- However, be sure to add both short-term goals you can work on now and complete relatively quickly, as well as some medium-term and long-term goals. Progressive or step goals are also important.
- Goal-making provides a roadmap, allowing you to return to it and track your progress, as well as revise those you’ve replaced or modified.
Reward Your Successes
When you finish a goal or make significant progress toward the next level or step, take a moment to celebrate. It’s essential to reward yourself for your achievements. This may seem like small progress, yet it’s vital to rebuilding your self-esteem and self-confidence. So, acknowledge and celebrate both small successes and bigger ones.
Be with Positive People to Cope with Your Beliefs
This tip to cope with your beliefs and self-concepts is significant. Determine who you truly enjoy spending time with and be with them as often as possible. The more you surround yourself with positive people, the more your attitude and worldview shift toward an enthusiastic and optimistic one.
- Therefore, be with those who say what they mean and do what they say. Those who are good examples, leaders, and always willing to help are excellent choices for role models you choose to be with.
Ultimately, as you begin to harness the power of your beliefs and self-concepts, you will experience a sense of lightness and enhanced well-being.
