“Limiting beliefs are beliefs that limit what you believe is possible for yourself or what you will allow in your life.”
Tomi Llama
Limiting beliefs are false beliefs that we hold about ourselves, others, and the world. They are constructed from our past experiences and often have been shaped and formed at an early age. Everyone has them and we accept them as truths and rules that we must live by.
Limiting beliefs may:
Define our potential, like how we define ourselves by what we do or do not do. For example, feeling “I’m not good enough” which in turn might limit what you expect or seek.
Define our ability, by declaring what we can and cannot do. For example, if we decide we can’t do something, we may choose to believe that our abilities are fixed and that we cannot enhance or alter that ability.
Defining your values, the laws and other rules that constrain what we must and must not do based on our culture, religion or upbringing.
The 3 Main Types of Limiting Beliefs
Limiting beliefs about you. We believe that we can’t do something because 1) either we believe you aren’t worth it, something is wrong with us, or that it’s not who we are (e.g. “I am not an artist”), 2) we might believe that we can’t do something because no one will let us, or 3) we might believe we can’t do something because it’s too difficult for us.
Limiting beliefs about others. We might believe that other people are untrustworthy or that they are manipulative or we might believe that others are against us.
Limiting beliefs about the world. We have limiting beliefs about the world in general. and that the world or the universe is against us.
Causes of Limiting Beliefs
Family Beliefs. Growing up, our parents likely had morals and values they tried to instill in us. These often stemmed from their own familial beliefs and ideas about how both we and the world should be. It could be things such as what career paths we should take, how to behave, and how to engage with others. We can end up forming our own limiting beliefs based on the beliefs they instilled in us.
Education. Whether we’re learning from family, teachers, or friends, they all have an impact on what we adopt as truth because they’re both in a position of authority and constantly sharing information, ideas, and beliefs about how the world works.
Experiences. When we make decisions or have experiences in life, it is common for us to draw conclusions afterward. These sorts of negative experiences, in particular, can strongly shape our limiting beliefs. It’s important to remember that the conclusions we come to after bad experiences happen are only valid temporarily.
Self-limiting beliefs may impact not only our experience with ourselves, but also our experience with others, presenting as personality traits like:
Perfectionism. When we believe we have to get everything right and perform perfectly or that we have to do everything ourselves.
Poor Boundaries. When we feel a duty to make others happy or to perform certain roles for others. We may feel that we have to subvert our own needs to make others happy.
Control. When we chase after impossible levels of control in our life and believe our life will only be better when we achieve them.
Judgement. When our beliefs about other people limit our relationships. For example, we may make assumptions about what others are thinking and respond based on those assumptions. Sadly, these assumptions are often wrong, like if we believe that someone does not like us when they actually have no particular opinion or even think we are nice.
Limiting beliefs can be quite easy to spot and often start sentences with the following:
I can’t …..
I mustn’t or I must…..
I am not…..
I should….
Five tips to shift limiting beliefs:
Pause, stop and reflect. When you feel fear or resistance, pause and become aware that you’re in ‘low-mood thinking’.
Understand your thoughts are not the truth. Write down your thoughts. Try and identify the stories or ‘lies’ you’re telling yourself. Understand that you created these ‘lies’ by giving meanings to events, but that they are not the truth about you.
Look for evidence. Be aware that you have the power to turn your lies into truths by looking for evidence that is the opposite of your limiting beliefs. By doing this, you will create new experiences and new evidence that will support your new belief.
Take back your power. Stop blaming the outside world for your results. You alone are in command of your thoughts and your life. Feeling anxious or stressed is, simply the result of ‘low-mood thinking’. A thought is just a thought. A feeling is just a feeling. They are not the truth about you and they will pass. Create a phrase that will be the backbone and basis for your new belief, for example: "I am worth it.”. “I’ve got this.”, “I can do this.”, “I can figure it out.”, “I will figure it out.”
Talk to someone about your limiting beliefs. It may help to talk this through with someone else. If you want to change your old, limiting story and create new empowering beliefs about yourself, to live a life of flow and inspiration, seek out the help that you need to make this happen for you.
Essential Oils to Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs
Essential oils are uniquely beneficial in helping to release limiting thoughts and emotions as the sense of smell links directly to the limbic lobe of the brain which stores and releases emotional trauma.
Combining essential oils and positive affirmations can help shift limiting self beliefs. When using affirmations, it is important to allow ourselves to experience the positive thoughts and feelings that are triggered by the words of the affirmation. These thoughts and feelings help us to believe our affirmations, and enhance their ability to work.
Steps to Release Self-Limiting Beliefs:
Smell or apply the essential oil
Think about and/or feel the self-limiting belief you would like to release
State the release statement clearly three times, i.e. “Ï release my belief that….”
Take a breath to feel into your body. If you sense that more of the self-limiting belief needs to be released, repeat the sequence.
Tap each point on sequence 5-7 times (about the length of time it takes for one full breath) while stating the release statement.
Take a breath to feel into your body. If you sense that more emotional release is needed, repeat the sequence.
Steps to Imprint a Positive Belief:
After you clear self-limiting beliefs, it helps to visualize your success. For example, you can change “I can’t” to “I can” or “I want to” which allows for hope and allows you to embrace what might be possible. Try not to question or judge yourself. Simply allow your mind to open to the possibility of different outcomes.
Smell or apply oil again
Think about and/or feel the positive belief you wish to program into your cells. For example, you might replace fear with safety, love or confidence. If you cannot think of anything specific, simply say “I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”
Tap the wrist point 3 times while stating the positive affirmation.
Tap each point on sequence 5-7 times while stating the positive affirmation statement
Take a moment to feel gratitude to yourself and the process.
Did you know...research has shown that increasing blood flow to the prefrontal cortex (behind the forehead) can increase cerebral spinal, organ, and muscle flow of blood to the area. It’s hypothesized that when we are under stress, blood goes to the back of the brain, where the past is stored. Placing a hand, or appropriate essential oils, over the forehead, helps shift the energy and blood flow from the more emotional mid‐brain areas to the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with a calmer mind and rational, logical thinking. The forehead contains several neurovascular points, known as the “Bennett reflexes” named after chiropractor Terrence Bennett who first discovered them in the 1930s. To help with emotional release, the three reflex points are: (1) the inside of the eyebrows, (2) over the temples and (3) at the base of the hairline on both the right and left hemisphere of the forehead.
6 Essential Oils to Overcome Self-limiting Beliefs - Combining an essential oil blend with intention can lead to powerful shifts.
Parasympathetic™ supports the parasympathetic state allowing us to think rationally and process through self- limiting beliefs. Apply it over the vagus nerve (behind the earlobe on the mastoid bone) to help calm the “fight or flight” reflex and balance the nervous system. It can also help promote emotional grounding, encouraging a balance between the heart and mind, which is an ideal state in which to release self-limiting beliefs.
Liver Support™ supports the release self-limiting beliefs along with the anger and suppressed negative memories that lock those beliefs in place on a deep cellular level. Just place the bottle under the nose and breathe deeply, fully inhaling the oil for 3 – 7 breaths. It can also be applied around the ankles as this is often an area where resistance to moving forward in life is held blocking the ability to receive joy and pleasure.
Small Intestine Support™ helps support positive boundaries and confidence to assist in bringing a sense of peace to our lives. It is an area where deep self-limiting beliefs fueled by feelings of lack of self-worth, low self‐esteem, loneliness, neglect and anxieties about survival and success can be held. It can be smelled or applied around the ears along many of the major reflexology points.
Large Intestine Support™ helps release past hurts and self-limiting beliefs so that we can move through transitions or changes. It can be applied on the bottom of the feet or over the large intestine.
Lung Support™ allows for the gentle release of emotional grief which is often attached to negative experiences and which often accompanies growth. There is often a deep sense of loss and grief associated with the process of letting go. It can be inhaled through the nose, letting the oxygen flow deeply into the lungs, then exhaled or applied directly over the lungs.
Kidney Support™ helps release the emotional fear which can be triggered by self-limiting beliefs and which is linked to the kidney. The kidneys control the volume, composition and pressure of fluids in all the cells. Water is symbolic of the unconscious, the emotion and of that which we do not understand and that which we fear. It can be applied over the kidneys (one inch up and out from belly button), back of neck, or around the outside of earlobes or smelled.
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