5 ways of thinking that can limit your mind
If something characterizes the human mind is its ability to adapt to the environment. Contrary to what happens with most other animal species, our behavior is much more marked by the way we decided to learn to act than with the actions genetically encoded in our DNA. This is: the human being is characterized by his creativity, the freedom with which he chooses to take totally original routes of thought.
However, in our day to day this creative potential is not always being exploited to the fullest . There are many psychological factors that limit it and that, if we are able to neutralize them, they will leave behind all that breadth of thought and mental flexibility that our brain entails and that, in some cases, we did not know we had.
That is why it is practical to review our psychological habits and identify those ways of thinking that limit our imagination and reduce their reach.
- Maybe you're interested: "The routines and the mentality of creative people"
Psychological habits that limit our thinking
The first thing that must be taken into account when understanding why there are some ways of thinking that limit the possible mental routes among which we choose is that the human brain, despite having an incredible number of neurons (more than 80 one billion of them in an adult) has limited resources to perform their actions.
And yes, thinking is also one of those psychological functions carried out by the brain, since it does not exist outside our body. Here we are not talking about using 100% of our brain (something we already do constantly, despite what the myth of 10% of the mind indicates), but to manage well the biological resources of our nervous system that are already being used.
Therefore, we must choose the mental habits that best allow us to exploit the limited amount of resources of our brain at the time of guide it towards a thought as broad, flexible and creative as possible . And, to do so, we must first identify those thought patterns that limit this flexibility. The main ones are the following.
1. Procrastination
The term procrastination is usually familiar to very few people, but almost everyone knows its other name: the syndrome of "I'll do it tomorrow". It is a way of thinking that leads to constantly seek excuses to postpone challenges . However, the striking thing about procrastination is that it does not appear only when we have to face complex problems; It can also stop us from carrying out simple tasks, such as hanging clothes or thinking about creative solutions in a situation to be solved.
This is what makes the "I'll do it tomorrow" syndrome so much limit our way of thinking; every time we reach a point where we are required to have some mental flexibility, the anticipation of this small effort can cause this task to be postponed, allowing us to continue in that easy state in which our thinking goes on the rails of habit. And of course, by postponing creative thinking, the possibilities of ending up by not facing this small challenge grows a lot.
- Related article: "Procrastination or the syndrome of" I'll do it tomorrow ": what it is and how to prevent it"
2. Rumination
Rumination is a thought pattern that involves entering a loop of obsessive ideas from which it is difficult for us to leave. For example, if something we have done recently embarrasses us a lot, it is possible that, whatever we do, every thought ends up taking us to the memory of us becoming ridiculous in front of others, which leads us to continue worrying about this incident and, as a consequence, it predisposes us even more to evoke that experience in the future.
Rumination works in a relatively simple way: the more you think of an idea, image or memory, the more likely it is that, automatically and unintentionally, that mental content will assault our consciousness again. This not only leads to an increase in anxiety, but also limits creativity, as it ties us to the anguish and anticipated fear of re-awakening that memory.
- Related article: "Rumination: the annoying vicious circle of thought"
3. Excessive perfectionism
Many times perfectionism, far from being something that pushes us to constantly improve, prevents us from taking the first steps necessary to progress. If before starting a project in which you will be required to amplitude of thought and a good dose of creativity you realize that you spend a lot of time worrying about the blow to your self-esteem that could be a failure, it is possible that this psychological habit is acting as an anchor .
Four.Paralysis of the analysis
The paralysis of the analysis is a mental block that keeps us anchored in the decision-making phase . What characterizes this thought pattern is that it is often not perceived as a problem, since the time taken to choose the best of the possible options is not seen as a break, but with a need to ensure success by choosing what more it suits us
That is to say, that the paralysis of the analysis is a kind of perfectionism fixed in the phase of the election. We renounce to choose one of the options offered to us because, in some way, we fear the possibility of failing; That is why we prefer to stay in a previous phase in which we can fantasize about success.
- Related article: "The 'analysis paralysis', when thinking too much becomes a problem"
5. Culpabilization of others
Blaming others and the environment for everything bad that happens to us is a sure way to stay where we are . Of course, it is not unreasonable that many of our problems are the fault of others, but if we concentrate all our attention only on the responsibilities of others we will lose sight of the range of options from which we can choose.
