It’s almost impossible not to find ourselves struggling with negative thoughts in this day and age, with such thoughts harming our mental wellbeing (Anxious Minds, 2025). But hope is not lost. A mindset shift is possible for any of us, and that can change how we view ourselves and the world around us.
Mindset Shift: What’s A Mindset
According to 7 Mindsets (2025), our mindsets are formed through our experiences and milestones. The two most common mindsets that are talked about and researched are growth and fixed mindsets. A fixed mindset is where someone believes that an attribute, such as intelligence, is simply fixed (Dweck and Yeager, 2019). You’re either innately intelligent or you’re not. Very much a “leopard can’t change its spots” or “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” worldview
Such a fixed mindset means that it can’t be changed. It is what it is, so there’s no point in trying to improve. As such, having this mindset affects our motivation, our achievements and success, our procrastination, etc. (Duchi, Lombardi, Paas, and Loyens, 2020).
According to Mindset Theory, people with a fixed mindset are more interested in validating and proving themselves and their perceived unchangeable attributes, rather than working to improve themselves (Bernecker and Job, 2019). Because of this rigid fixed mindset, historically, it’s been used to justify racist, sexist, and classist beliefs.
Whereas a growth mindset is the belief that nothing is fixed and that our capacities can be developed over time (Dweck and Yeager, 2019). This helps us not only develop a malleable view of ourselves and how we can change ourselves, but also that the world around us is the same (Duchi, Lombardi, Paas, and Loyens, 2020). As a therapist, it’s important to have this mindset because we’re literally in the job of helping people to grow and change.
Having a growth mindset means our efforts can lead to change, which helps with developing a passion for learning and self-improvement, and makes it easier to tackle challenges and setbacks that come our way (Bernecker and Job, 2019).
Another type of mindset that often gets mentioned is a positive or negative mindset. Negative thoughts can deeply shape our lives, affecting how we feel and act. Unfortunately, our brains are very good at keeping harmful thoughts going (Anxious Minds, 2025). But a toxic positive mindset can also be harmful in its own way.
Neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to form new neural connections) is real, but it requires consistency. A mindset shift is not about “thinking positively” in the face of reality; it is about choosing the most useful interpretation of reality to help us move forward.
Mindset Shift: Shifting Our Mindsets
Changing our mindsets isn’t always a simple task because they often stem from core beliefs that can be hard to replace, so it takes preparation, work, practice, and patience (Klein, 2023). Doing a Mindset shift from a negative mindset where we have to deal with self-doubt, limiting beliefs, etc. (7 Mindsets, 2025) to a growth, or more positive, mindset will serve as a buffer against the negative consequences of life (Duchi, Lombardi, Paas, and Loyens, 2020) and late-stage capitalism.
Replacing mindsets that aren’t helping us will help us avoid repeating the same mistakes and be more productive and, hopefully, more successful in life (Klein, 2023).
Whether we are looking to improve our career trajectory, deepen relationships, or simply find more calm in daily life, here is a framework to help us to mindset shift our perspective more effectively.
Embrace challenges
Often, we avoid challenges because they’re difficult and can cause discomfort. However, it’s these very difficulties that provide us with the opportunities for growth and learning. Therefore, we should approach obstacles with a curious and resilient attitude, while believing in our abilities to overcome them (Anxious Minds, 2025).
Setbacks
With a fixed or negative mindset, encountering a setback or making a mistake is often attributed to a lack of ability, and one would react by feeling in some way helpless or useless (Duchi, Lombardi, Paas, and Loyens, 2020).
However, such situations can be reframed as oppertunities to learn and grow. Because mistakes are a fact of life. We all make them, and we always will. So when we encounter a setback or a mistake, don’t see it as a failure, and instead take action to overcome it (Anxious Minds, 2025).
Mastery goals
Mastery goals, or learning goals, are goals we can set for ourselves to become more competent, because there’s always room to grow and develop our skills. The alternative to this is performance goals, which are solely about our concerns with demonstrating a high level of competence (Bernecker and Job, 2019).
Learning goals are about continuous growth because we want to keep growing, whereas performance growth is a fear mindset. What’s worse is that we can fake a high level of competence to scratch that performance goal, which will just feed the fear.
Words matter
Moving from “this is hard” to “what’s the first step?” is a classic move in cognitive reframing. It shifts the brain from a feeling of being overwhelmed or stuck to an action-oriented growth mindset (problem-solving).
When we label something as “hard”, our brain often treats it as a stop sign because it wants to avoid discomfort and wasting energy. Furthermore, when we catch ourselves saying, “This is hard”, we are often inadvertently triggering a stress response that can lead to procrastination or burnout.
Instead, asking for the “first step” bypasses that wall by breaking a complex challenge into a manageable, low-friction task. Reframing our internal monologue like this is one of the most effective tools for maintaining good mental wellbeing and reducing stress.
The power of ‘yet’
Another example of the power of words is the word ‘yet’. This is the cornerstone of a growth mindset. When we find ourselves thinking, “I am not good at this” or “I don’t know how to do this“, simply add the word ‘yet’ to the end of that sentence. This will move us from a failure mindset where we give up before we even try, while acknowledging our current ability, without limiting our potential.
Positive self-talk
Our self-talk is also important to work on, so start paying attention to it. If we notice our self-talk uses words like “should” (cognitive bias), “have to”, or “can’t”, try swapping them for “choose to” “, get to”, or “not yet”. We can also dismiss a lot of ‘should’ type statements for putting fabricated expectations on ourselves. Such fabricated expectations can lead to guilt we don’t need to feel.
Instead of allowing such negative self-talk to control our lives and ruin the quality of our lives, work on developing positive self-talk. For example, we can add ‘yet’ at the end of sentences or even challenge the validity of the thoughts.
Thought challenges
Thought challenges can be an easy skill to develop to tackle negative intrusive thoughts and thoughts that are harmful to our wellbeing. Reframing is the most common form, where we take a thought and look for a neutral or positive way to view that thought. Again, this is using the power of our words. There’s also putting our thoughts on trial and cognitive reappraisal.
Challenge irrational beliefs
We often develop harmful core beliefs, and left unchecked, they’ll derail us every time. If we can find out what our irrational beliefs are, then we can challenge them and develop healthier replacements for them. Downward arrowing can be a useful technique for this.
Seek feedback
Feedback doesn’t have to be our enemy. Welcoming constructive feedback into our lives gives us a chance to identify areas for improvement. We don’t need to treat all feedback the same, as constructive feedback isn’t a personal attack. It’s a valuable tool for self-improvement (Anxious Minds, 2025).
The dichotomy of control
Unfortunately, much of our internal stress arises from trying to influence things that are outside our direct sphere of control. Therefore, if we can focus our energy exclusively on the things within our control, like our intentions, efforts, and reactions, we’d be better serving ourselves.
Everything else, like war in the Middle East, the economy, the weather, and other people’s opinions, is noise. Don’t allow ourselves to rob ourselves by fixating on the things we have no power to change. Furthermore, by detaching ourselves from outcomes we cannot control, we free up the mental bandwidth to excel in the areas we can influence.
Identity-based habits
It’s almost instinctual to focus on what we want to achieve rather than who we want to become. Instead of setting a goal to “read a book“, shift the mindset to “become a reader“. Every action we take is a vote for the type of person we want to be. Our brains will build shortcuts based on this, which is why it can be hard to change old habits.
When we focus on identity, we are not just ticking off tasks; we are reinforcing a new version of ourselves with every small choice.
Celebrate effort
It’s important to recognise the progress we make and the time and consistent effort we’ve put into our mindset shift. Celebrate the journey, not just the end result (Anxious Minds, 2025). Progress is progress, no matter how small, because success is a series of small wins. We could even record this in an achievement collage.
Also, celebrate other people’s achievements as well. There’s enough to go around, as it’s not a finite resource.
Acting
We’re not going to be able to change overnight. If it were that easy, therapy wouldn’t exist, nor would the field of psychology. But what we could try is a little bit of acting. If we want to be more confident, then try acting like someone who is confident for the next 30-60 minutes. The whole fake it to you make it approach.
Five-second and five-minute rule
Before we talk ourselves out of what we want to do, think of the simplest first step we can take and take it immediately. This is the basis for the five-minute rule. This prevents procrastination from getting a chance to get in the way, and it avoids the mental clutter of a growing to-do list, allowing us to keep our focus on the present moment rather than a daunting future.
The five-second rule is where we count back from five, “5-4-3-2……” and by one we take action towards starting, such as getting up off the sofa.
Stop-doing list
Much like a to-do list can help us figure out what we want to do, a stop-doing list is there to help us stop doing certain things. This can help with our mindset shift, because we know what things we want to stop doing, and writing it out forms a commitment to that.
Keeping things realistic
Change is hard, and it can be a good idea to set ourselves realitic expectations regarding our mindset shift. Much like me with my micro exercising, we can set a minimum for each day, but also allow ourselves to do more if we have the time and energy.
Summary
A successful mindset shift is rarely a sudden epiphany; it is usually a series of quiet, deliberate choices to change how we interpret the world. It is the process of moving from a state of being “stuck” to one of “possibility”. Therefore, remember that a mindset is not a fixed trait; it is a muscle that strengthens through deliberate, repeated friction against our old ways of thinking.
As always, leave your feedback in the comments section below. Also, please share your experiences with performing a mindset shift in the comments section below as well. Don’t forget, if you want to stay up-to-date with my blog, you can sign up for my newsletter below. Alternatively, click the red bell icon in the bottom right corner to get push notifications for new articles.
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References
7 Mindsets. (2025, February 7). How to change your mindset. 7 Mindsets. Retrieved from https://7mindsets.com/how-to-change-your-mindset.
Anxious Minds. (2025, March 27). Shifting your Mindset: Tips for overcoming Negative thoughts. Anxious Minds. Retrieved from https://www.anxiousminds.co.uk/overcoming-negative-thoughts.
Bernecker, K., & Job, V. (2019). Mindset theory. In Social psychology in action: Evidence-based interventions from theory to practice (pp. 179-191). Cham: Springer International Publishing. Retrieved from https://www.vanessaevagora.com/uploads/1/2/1/0/121071176/social_psychology_in_action_textbook_1.pdf#page=186.
Duchi, L., Lombardi, D., Paas, F., & Loyens, S. M. (2020). How a growth mindset can change the climate: The power of implicit beliefs in influencing people’s view and action. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 70, 101461. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494419308643.
Dweck, C. S., & Yeager, D. S. (2019). Mindsets: A view from two eras. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(3), 481-496. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6594552/pdf/nihms-1024986.pdf.
Klein, G. (2023, March 20). Four ingredients for making changes. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/seeing-what-others-dont/202303/shifting-mindsets-what-does-it-take.