At times, we might feel stuck, weighed down by self-doubt or past experiences, and think that we would never be able to change . But what if this personal change isn’t just a possibility but something we could actually make happen, thanks to the power of our innate human ability along with the right mindset?
This mindset is known as a growth mindset. Introduced by psychologist Carol Dweck, this is based on the belief that our abilities, intelligence, and emotional well-being can evolve with effort and persistence. In contrast, a fixed mindset is based on a belief that who and how we are set in stone and change is not possible. The latter leads us to shy away from challenges and hold us back from personal growth.
When we embrace a growth mindset, it can truly be life-changing. Coupled with neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt and change, this mindset helps us learn, experience and create new patterns in our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. Small, consistent and repeated efforts strengthen these internal changes over time, and we grow to overcome struggles like feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and hopelessness. Over time, we develop greater resilience which translates to also how we relate to others and to life circumstances with greater confidence and inner strength.
In this article, we’ll explore how adopting a growth mindset can enhance our mental and emotional well-being through taking small but powerful steps toward the life we want.
What is Mindset, and Why is it Important?
Mindset shapes how we view ourselves, our abilities, and the world around us. It affects how we respond to challenges, setbacks, and opportunities. At its heart, mindset is the lens through which we interpret everything that happens to us, especially how we see challenges – as obstacles and roadblocks, or as chances to grow and learn through the experience.
Psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on mindset teaches us that our beliefs about intelligence, emotions, and personal development can deeply influence our motivation and resilience. When we believe that our abilities are set in stone, we shy away from challenges fearing failure. But when we see growth as possible, we open ourselves up to new possibilities of learning, adapting, and improving.
Mindset has a powerful impact on personal growth and mental health. For example, someone struggling with anxious thoughts and feelings might feel overwhelmed and powerless at first. However, by understanding the deeper layers of thinking and shifting that mindset, they can begin to manage their anxiety instead of letting it control their lives. This mindset shift is often the first step toward lasting change, especially when it comes to building healthier self-talk, habits and improving relationships.
Understanding the role of mindset is key to personal transformation. The way we think about ourselves and what we’re capable of influences how we approach every aspect of our lives, from how we handle challenges to our emotional well-being.
Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset
How we face challenges, setbacks, and learning primarily depends on whether we have a growth or fixed mindset.
A fixed mindset is the belief that our intelligence, talents, and emotional strength are fixed and can’t be changed. We then avoid challenges and feel stuck. In our self-talk, we may be saying to ourselves, “I’m just not good at this,” “I’ll never change,” “I am just like that, this is me”, “Why bother trying?” are common refrain. As a result, we resist seeking support, or see no hope believing that our struggles are permanent.
On the other hand, a growth mindset is the belief that our abilities and emotional strength can grow with effort, practice, and support. This is a mindset that brings hope as we see challenges as opportunities for gains in learning and improving. The negative self-talk and negative view of self can shift with intentionality, time and support towards one that is more hopeful rather than hopeless.
Adopting a growth mindset does not mean our struggles are not real nor valid. Rather, it’s about recognising that internal change is possible even amidst the pain. Steady, intentional efforts over time can create meaningful and lasting change. Many, like activist and former actor Michael J. Fox, have shown us this. Despite his Parkinson’s diagnosis, he embraced growth and resilience, adapting to his circumstances rather than letting them define him.
By adopting this mindset, we can approach life’s challenges with openness and hopefulness. Just as someone with a growth mindset who wants to learn a skill or strengthen muscles would seek out a supportive instructor or trainer, someone with a growth mindset who is grappling with difficulties improving oneself emotionally, and mentally would seek out support and help in this process towards change. Counselling and therapy at In Focus Counseling is premised on the growth mindset, and supports our clients based on the belief that real, lasting change is possible.
Benefits of a Growth Mindset in Living a Fulfilling Life
Living with a growth mindset isn’t just about reaching certain goals and saying “I have arrived”. It’s about nurturing resilience, emotional strength, and a deeper sense of fulfilment throughout life. When we believe we can grow and change, we’re more likely to embrace challenges, learn from experience, step out of our comfort zone, and develop the necessary skills to handle life’s ups and downs.
1. Greater Emotional Resilience
Life often throws us curveballs, but how we respond makes all the difference. With an adaptive mindset, setbacks are seen as temporary bumps on the road rather than insurmountable obstacles. In anxiety counselling, for example, those who believe in the possibility of change and are willing to be open to changing how they see themselves are more likely to manage more effectively and in a more life-giving way rather than be consumed by fear, self-criticism and feelings of despair.
2. Improve Relationships
A fixed mindset can lead to rigid thinking in relationships. Not only do we put put labels on ourselves such as “i am just slow”, “i am a failure”, we unknowingly may have also put labels on people around us such as “she is lazy!”, “she is just stubborn!”, “he is a good-for-nothing!”. We unknowingly put ourselves and others in a box based on the labels and limit our perspective. However, a growth mindset promotes flexibility, healthier communication, and the belief that relationships can improve with patience and effort. This shift in perspective is especially important in family counselling, where openness to broadening perspectives, promotes listening and understanding the other at a deeper level and improves relationships.
3. Overcoming Self-Doubt and Fear of Failure
It’s safe to avoid challenges because of the fear of failure. But not succeeding the first time doesn’t mean it is the end. It can be the beginning of growth. When we embrace this, we can push past the limitations of self-doubt. Take actor Christopher Reeve who was famous for his role playing Superman in the 80s, for example. After his paralysis from a horseback riding accident, he refused to be defined by his circumstances. Instead, he became an advocate for spinal cord research. He continued to impact lives as well as found personal meaning in adversity, showing us that resilience and purpose can flourish even in the bleakest of circumstances.
4. A More Positive Approach to Mental Wellness
When we hold a deterministic view of struggles with mental well-being and see it as unchangeable, we tend to adopt a more rigid mindset consciously or unconsciously. As a result, there are reservations to seeking professional counselling. Even when we do, if we continue to hold the fixed mindset, we may end up self-sabotaging because of our beliefs.
But when we cultivate a growth mindset and an attitude of openness, we give ourselves the possibility of change. This allows us to approach our mental health and well-being with hope and the belief that healing is possible with support, intentional effort and determination, and that we can seek support from other like-minded people such as a counsellor or therapist on this journey of change.
Neuroplasticity and Its Relation to Growth Mindset
The belief that we’re “wired” a certain way and can’t change is a myth. Our brains are constantly adapting, forming new connections based on our thoughts, actions, and experiences. This ability, known as neuroplasticity, proves that change isn’t just possible; it’s in fact how we grow and adapt to meet our needs.
Neuropsychologist Donald Hebb puts it simply:
“Neurons that fire together, wire together.”
The more we practise a thought or behaviour, the stronger the particular network in our brain becomes. Likewise, when we stop going back to unhelpful patterns, we stop reinforcing the familiar networks and they weaken over time. For example, someone stuck in anxious thinking can rewire their brain by consistently applying new thinking that is more helpful and effective instead of repeating the old familiar negative thinking. Like building physical strength, mental and emotional growth takes consistent effort. Small, intentional changes, repeated over time, such as practising gratitude, reframing thoughts, or learning mindfulness, can create a lasting transformation. Neuroplasticity reminds us that no one is truly “stuck.” The brain is always capable of change, and so are we.
Application to Counselling and Therapy
When we approach counselling and psychotherapy with a growth mindset, it can transform how we see our current situation and even our past. Apart from addressing current struggles, counselling and therapy becomes a chance for lasting change towards improving our life and healing.
A big part of what therapists do is help clients recognise their potential for growth. For instance, someone struggling with feelings of hopelessness might believe they’ll never feel better. But with an open-minded attitude, depression counselling becomes a space where they can start to experience human connection that is supportive and empathic, and be supported through the journey of change. Neuroscience research has also shown that the key to lasting change is not quick fixes but steady, small steps repeated over time.
Therapists also help clients understand their underlying mindset which is not always in a person’s conscious awareness, and collaboratively work to shift towards a more empowering mindset. This shift can be especially helpful in youth counselling, where young people may feel stuck in cycles of struggle. Realising that challenges can lead to growth gives them hope and helps them persevere through tough times.
The fact that our brains are capable of change greatly supports the work in counselling and therapy. Counsellors and therapists work with clients to tap into this human potential in an adaptive way with conscious intentionality of what clients want to work towards. This means that old, unhelpful patterns of thoughts,behaviour, emotions and even bodily sensations can be rewired in therapy. For example, in anger management therapy, clients can work on recognising the situations which bring out strong feelings of anger to understand where they feel infringed upon and learn healthier responses to meet their needs. While the change feels unfamiliar at times, with practice and application over time, the new networks in the brain strengthen and the new responses become more familiar and natural and there is a greater sense of control in their life.
How to Leverage Neuroplasticity for Change and Improving Life with Counselling and Therapy
Adopting a growth mindset in therapy means viewing ourselves as active participants in our own healing and change, rather than as passive recipients to what happens to us. When we take on this mindset backed by the science of neuroplasticity, we will be taking intentional steps to create the change we want to experience in ourselves, rather than wait for change to happen. Working towards more helpful ways of responding and creating the long lasting internal change we want is possible.
1. Mindful Awareness
Being mindful to become aware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions without judgement is the first step towards self-awareness, and subsequently, change. When we notice without judgement, and adopt a more open mindset to the present experience, we gain greater calm and clarity over time. This gentle disposition paves the way for making new choices, including how we want to think and act that are more aligned with who we want to be.
2. Setting Small, Achievable Goals
Change happens incrementally. Our brain adapts best when we take small, manageable actions. Setting realistic goals builds confidence and momentum. Start with something simple, like trying a new skill in a low-stress moment. As we become more familiar with the skill, applying it to more challenging situations will feel more manageable. For example, for some of us who struggle to share our views and want to change in order to have more of a voice, it may feel too overwhelming to try to assert ourselves in front of a big group at a work meeting. Starting small may look like beginning to voice out in a safer situation such as with a supportive friend who we trust; or a subject matter that is more manageable such as meal preferences.
3. Repetition of Helpful Habits
Real change happens through small, consistent repetitions. The more we practise a new habit, the stronger it becomes. The same idea that people use in learning a musical instrument or playing sports to become skilled and proficient with less effort over time applies in personal change. For example, pausing to breathe during stressful situations for clarity of mind and calming our nervous system may not be something we are used to, but each time we catch ourselves starting to feel our breath getting shallower under stress and pause to take a few deep long breaths to ease the feeling, we rewire our brains to respond with calm instead of allowing it to escalate into anxiety and panic. Over time, it will feel natural to pause and breathe, helping you stay grounded even in tough moments.
The same applies to relationships. When we choose to listen actively or respond with empathy instead of defensiveness, those habits become second nature. Our interactions with others may then gradually change as others begin to also experience us differently.
4. Consistency and Patience
Change doesn’t happen overnight, but every small effort adds up. Just like building physical strength, emotional resilience grows with patience and practice. Counselling and therapy offers an environment to begin developing self-awareness, exploring new ways of responding and planning the changes we want to apply. Deep, and long-lasting transformation comes with applying the learning and practicing the new skills and perspectives in daily life.
The beauty of neuroplasticity is that consistent effort leads to lasting change. Reframing thoughts, practising self-compassion, and choosing more helpful actions and strategies to manage the challenges will bring us closer to the fulfilling and empowered life we hope for.
Hopeful Trust In the Process Is Key To Success
Adopting a growth mindset and understanding the power of neuroplasticity can set us on the path to healing and emotional well-being. Transformation becomes possible when we trust in our ability to change and recognise the brain’s capacity to adapt. Whether it’s overcoming past hurts, strengthening relationships, or building healthier emotional habits, growth is always within reach.
With a growth mindset, challenges are turned into opportunities for learning. It nurtures resilience, fosters a sense of agency, and, most importantly, inspires hope. It reminds us that our brains are constantly evolving, and we can tap on this innate ability to develop enduring positive changes in our lives.
At In Focus, we’re here for anyone facing emotional, psychological, or relational struggles. Our caring and experienced counsellors take a supportive, collaborative approach to therapy, always seeing you as a whole person, not just your challenges. Through our work together, clients not only gain deeper self-awareness and understanding, but they also find the compassion and support needed to progress in their journey toward healing and lasting change.
If you or someone you care about is ready to take that first step toward a brighter, more fulfilling life, reach out to us today. We’d love to support you on your journey.