Have you ever heard of the Growth Mindset?
Growth Mindset involves perceiving challenges as opportunities for improvement and growth. A growth mindset takes a flexible approach in the face of rejections, failures, uncertainty and losses. People who are emotionally resilient in the face of life crises often possess a growth mindset, often re-writing their experiences of pain or suffering into stories of success and social impact. Whereas those with fixed mindset often view challenges as experiences of failure and tend to label themselves as “incompetent, incapable, inadequate, failure and loser”
Few famous examples of individuals with a growth mindset include Thomas Edison, Dr. Abdul Kalam, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Nick Vujicic, etc. are few famous individuals renowned for overcoming obstacles with stride to impact their communities for the greater good.
An interesting point to note here is that the way they responded to challenges not only impact their own lives but also inspire many in their community. Research has indicated that every person has the capacity to cultivate a resilient growth mindset in the face of struggles by incorporating some healthy lifestyle changes. This is popularly known as neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, which is the incredible ability of the brain to rewire itself. The two major ways we can bring about these changes is changing the cognitive and behavioral pathways of the brain. Changing the behavioral pathways of the brain is less about making big change and more about little lifestyle changes such as learning how to manage stress well, facing fears, practicing good sleep hygiene, being part of a supportive community, eating nutritious meals, developing gratitude, avoiding smoking/drinking. These simple habits can essentially rewire the brain for the better. Changing the cognitive pathways of the brain involve more of the skills that one acquires at counselling such as emotional regulation, distress tolerance, self-affirmation, mindfulness, self-awareness, managing expectations, self-soothing, positive coping and assertiveness.
Those with fixed mindset don’t believe they can improve their weakness, find it difficult to manage their emotions, and don’t know how to relax in the face of stress. They have a factor of learnt helplessness, where they believe that they are unable to control or change difficult circumstances due to continued exposure to stress. Even when opportunities for growth comes they are unwilling to try and improve their condition. Negativity and self-pity become their comfort zone and now feel threatened by any prospect of improvement. In the face of progress, they may even discount it if it was not 100% perfect.
How can one overcome learnt helplessness?
The first way is by noticing statements such as the following:
• This will never get better
• I am always going to be stuck in this position
• Nothing I do is ever right
• Things will never work out for me
The second step is to replace generalized umbrella statements with constructive criticism. Mention the specific details such as the number of times the incident took place to help you realize that it would be illogical to draw to a conclusion based on single isolated incident. This immediately helps your brain register that these challenges are not a pattern that control your entire life.
• I messed up this one time, I have more chances to improve
• It wasn’t successful few times, that doesn’t mean it won’t work next time
• Only two people broke my trust, that doesn’t mean every person is untrustworthy
• It’s not the end of the world if this doesn’t work out
• Maybe my method was wrong, maybe I can try something new
• Even though I was not successful, my effort counts and now I know how to improve myself
• I can learn from my mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, to err is human.
The third step is by taking small risks of moving out of your comfort zone. This may mean you test these generalized statements to see if they come true or not. You will most definitely realize that what you feared all along doesn’t come true at all.
For example, if you fear talking to a person whom you think is intimidating, avoiding them would cause the fear to amplify and make you perceive them to be more intimidating than they really are. Stepping out of your comfort zone is by taking small steps to do the opposite of what you naturally tend to do. This may look like introducing yourself and asking a question such as, “What do you work as?” This could potentially be the start of a new friendship
Growth mindset cannot be achieved without stepping out of one’s comfort zone. ECG and FMRI study has revealed the chances of psychological wellbeing is higher for those with resilient growth mindsets. Research has indicated that individuals who believe that abilities are changeable have a better chance of improving and learning new skills. The growth mindset determines the amount of effort exerted to make lifestyle changes that positively affect their mental health. Recovery takes hard work and effort, however your brain and body will surely thank you for it!
To read our articles on how Rumination can be replaced with Healthy Emotional Processing -Click Here!
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