I’ll be honest. My mental attitude has been less than positive these days. Navigating several personal circumstances is keeping the gremlins in my head on a treadmill. My mind feels like it is on the verge of spinning out of control at any given time. It’s these moments of craziness that got me thinking about mindset, one of the core foundations of resilience.
What is mindset?
Mindset is the set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and yourself. It influences how you think, feel, and behave in situations. Said another way, it is your mental attitude or inclination. It can be fixed or fluid.
Why is mindset important?
Mindset plays a critical role in how you cope with life’s challenges. It determines whether you choose to give up or push through to find a solution. Mindset can help you find opportunities, or it can keep you stuck.
Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychologist and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, identifies two basic mindsets: fixed and growth.
People with a fixed mindset often believe that they are who they are and that they cannot change their abilities. They think that intelligence and talents are self-limiting or enough to lead to success. Individuals with a fixed mindset are often out to prove themselves. They may strongly defend their choices and measure themselves by their mistakes. At the same time, a fixed mindset can lead to feeling stuck because you think you don’t have what it takes to find a solution to your challenge.
On the other hand, someone with a growth mindset believes that they can develop their talents and abilities over time; that there is always something more to learn. People with a growth mindset embrace new experiences. While challenges might be overwhelming at first, they face them with curiosity, patience, and the confidence to get to the other side regardless of the difficulty in the short term. These people often seek input from those whose values they trust and engage in conversations that help to inform their decisions and future planning.
Examples of a fixed mindset:
– Either I know how to do something, or I don’t.
– That’s just who I am. I can’t/won’t change.
– If I avoid trying, I will avoid failing.
– Change shouldn’t be this hard.
Examples of a growth mindset:
– I can learn to do anything I want.
– I am constantly growing and changing.
– My only failure is when I stop trying.
– It takes effort to change a habit or learn a new skill.
Those with a fixed mindset constantly seek validation to prove
their worth to themselves and others.
~ Carol Dweck
How can you change your mindset?
Focus on the journey. Remember that all of life is a journey with no specific end result. Be grateful for the bumps in the road. They are where growth occurs.
Incorporate a “yet” mentality. When you are struggling with something new, remind yourself that you have not mastered it “yet.” Not having an answer or clear path “at this time” is different from “never getting there.”
Pay attention to your words and thoughts. Instead of telling yourself that your challenge is one you “have to” face, consider it something you “get to do.” The benefit of going through the challenge and coming out on the other side is greater than staying stuck in the worry of what the future might hold without action.
Take on challenges. Test yourself in small ways to start. Interested in trying a new recipe but not sure how it will turn out? Curious about pickleball even though you don’t play racket sports? Do you have a question about your health but are afraid to learn the answer?
Consider how mindset affects your food choices, too. Are you stuck in the belief that healthful eating is boring and unsatisfying? Are you convinced that weight gain is just part of getting older? Are you open to experimenting in the kitchen by trying new foods and recipes? Are you curious to know how your body will feel after routinely nourishing it with whole, real foods? Staying curious about how foods impact your body and mind is a step toward fostering a healthy food mindset.
Research shows that those with a growth mindset experience more positive outcomes when they embark on changing a habit or tackling a life challenge. It’s part of the resilience path.
How open are you to enhancing your resilience?
Send me an email to start a discussion about how you can build your resilience through diet and mindset. I’m ready to support you.
References:
Babauta, L. (ND). Habits: A Simple change in Mindset Changes Everything. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://zenhabits.net/allowed/
Cherry, K. (2021). What Is a Mindset and Why It Matters. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-mindset-2795025
Christensen, L. (2019). How to Limit Restrictive Eating and Develop a Healthy Food Mindset. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://chriskresser.com/how-to-limit-restrictive-eating-and-develop-a-healthy-food-mindset/
Klein, G. (2016). Mindsets: What they are and why they matter. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/seeing-what-others-dont/201605/mindsets
