Shifting from fear of failure to the growth mindset

As a Family Doctor, I often see how fear of failure can impact people’s lives in very unhealthy ways.

Often underlying this fear of failure is a deep belief that their self worth is solely linked to external measures like external achievements, looks or popularity. It’s easy to see how this has come to be through our schooling, upbringing, media, and Hollywood.

So how else can we process this feeling as it arises and as an alternative to the usual Fight, Flight, and Freeze responses?

One can use the ACE strategy from Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) to Acknowledge that conditioning/belief, and defusion from that belief at the same time. Connect with body sense/s to ground oneself in the present moment, and lastly, Engage with value based actions along with authenticity, workability, personal growth, meaning and purpose despite the challenges or possible failures.

This is to cultivate a “growth mindset” with those triggers rather than simply associating it with the Fight, Flight, or Freeze.

I wonder if you can relate….