I am procrastinating studying because there is a belief that I am stupid and cannot do it. I get a paralyzing anxiety when I think about studying and often avoid doing that task. I also lack self-confidence. If there is a minor obstacle, I give up and beat myself. Growing up, I was constantly called stupid by my family and teachers. I tried therapy and even got my IQ tested by a psychologist. It turns out that I am average-intelligent. There is that belief that I am too stupid to do anything. Many therapists I work with tell me that I need to push myself and ignore self-doubt but it does not work. It took me in my 30s to realize that it is not about being stupid; success is about confidence and the willingness to work hard for it. Self-doubt has held me back from living to my fullest potential. If you have any tips and ideas, it would be greatly appreciated.
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I’ve struggled with paralysation too. Since you’ve been told lies so many times, those lies echo in your mind.
So what I did was to use affirmations, and reminders of the opposite:
Affirmations: Just tell yourself you’re good enough, your intelligence is fine, you’re good the way you are. Things like that that counter the echoes of your parents lies.
When I felt inadequate, I’d remind myself of my previous success. “Yeah I worry about making it this time, but I worried last time too and I did that just fine. I’ve worried like that a lot and I’ve come out on top a lot, so it’s just lies”.
Also when you’ve done any studying, make sure you reward yourself, tell yourself you did good and maybe eat a treat or something. Rewarding yourself can help reduce procrastination the next time.
Therapy can help too of course, but this is how I worked with my struggles.