The Importance of Challenging and Changing Negative Core Beliefs
Therapist and Life Coach in Voorhees NJ, Cherry Hill NJ, and Marlton NJ (856) 352-5428 Contact NJ Therapy & Life Coaching
As a therapist and life coach, I help clients identify what are called “core belief systems.” A core belief is how you see yourself and what you think you are in your life and the world. For example, “I am lovable” or “ I am unlovable. “I am worthy,” “I am unworthy.” “I am a success,” or “I am a failure.“ These are all core beliefs, and you may have multiple core beliefs about yourself.
Most often, core beliefs aren’t what we think in the moment. They get triggered in the back of our minds and directly influence our thinking, behaviors, and interactions with others.
What we believe about ourselves and who we are directly impacts our thought processes, which then shape how we feel from moment to moment.
As your thoughts lead to your feelings, and your feelings guide your behaviors, negative core beliefs can cloud your thinking. Your core beliefs affect your thoughts, which in turn shape how you think, feel, and act.
Negative core beliefs lead to negative thinking. For example, if you believe you are a failure, you might avoid seeking a better job, thinking you won’t be able to get one. But if your core belief is that you are successful, you’ll think you can get a better job, look for one, and find it.
It’s important to realize that your core beliefs influence how you see and experience everything in your world. If your core beliefs impact your thinking, then recognizing and challenging negative core beliefs is essential. These beliefs influence your sense of self-worth and how you communicate with your significant other and everyone you interact with daily.
Challenging and changing your negative core beliefs can boost your sense of self-worth, and I believe that if you do so, you can change your life.
To challenge and change negative core beliefs, it is important to review the evidence that this belief is true. Are you unworthy? I doubt it. There are good and bad experiences in our lives. Do you believe you are truly an unworthy person? When challenges have presented themselves, were you able to resolve your problems? Most of us can find resolution and move forward. We are all worthy.
When we examine the negative core belief “I am unlovable”, it is essential to reflect on whether you believe all children are lovable. Reflect on the children in your life. Do you believe any of them are unlovable?
Remember that you, too, were once a child, as lovable and valuable as all the children born. The belief that you are unlovable may have started when you were young. Were you loved unconditionally, or were you judged and rejected? See Examining Core Beliefs and Negative Thinking.
You can build self-worth by examining the evidence that supports or contradicts your core beliefs. Most often, we discover that our negative core beliefs are faulty. Once you realize this, work hard to change your assumptions about yourself. Use affirmations to help alter your negative core beliefs, and always challenge self-judgment by examining the evidence.