Author: Judith Driscoll

Beliefs

9 Essential Things to Know About Spotting Negative Beliefs

Hello again!

Last time, we talked about Auto Thoughts—those quick, reflexive thoughts that zip through your mind and subtly shape your experience. We looked at how noticing them is a powerful step toward creating a healthy inner ecosystem.

Today, we’re zooming out a little to look at the next Marker: Beliefs. These are deeper, more structural. If Auto Thoughts are the bricks of your inner world, Beliefs are the framing—the invisible structure that holds your story in place.

Let’s walk through nine essential things to know about spotting negative Beliefs.

1. Beliefs shape your worldview

According to Merriam-Webster, a belief is “something that is accepted, considered to be true, or held as an opinion.” Beliefs help you make sense of your experience and interact with the world around you. Some you’ll recognize right away. Others? They’re so ingrained, you may not even realize they’re there.

Try asking: What are the most important beliefs playing into my life story?

2. Beliefs are planted

We aren’t born with beliefs—they’re shaped by our upbringing, environment, and culture.

For example, I was raised in the Midwest, where “hard work” is a deeply held value. That belief drives how I spend my time, how I gauge my worth, and how I imagine others see me. You may have similar beliefs about work, relationships, or self-worth that were planted early—and now operate almost automatically.

Try asking: Which of my beliefs were planted by a source I might no longer want to emulate?

3. Beliefs can foster belonging

Beliefs can offer comfort and connection. Think of the relief you feel when you’re around someone who “just gets” you—it’s often because you share similar beliefs.

When I adopted two baby goats, Leo and Orion, they saw me as a kidnapper at first. But after regular feedings of warm goat’s milk, their worldview shifted. Eventually, they stuck to me like glue. It reminded me: beliefs can change surprisingly fast when there’s trust, nourishment, and a new story.

Try asking: What beliefs helped me fit into my family, my workplace, or my spiritual community? And which have I outgrown?

4. Beliefs impact your inner terrain

Just like sunlight nourishes plants—but can also burn them—some beliefs nurture growth, while others quietly damage our inner terrain. Especially those that hide behind social norms or family loyalty.

Try asking: What’s the condition of my inner terrain? Can I name three beliefs that are shaping it?

5. Some beliefs are deeply tied to survival

We may cling to certain beliefs because they’ve kept us safe—socially, emotionally, or even physically. This is especially true for negative beliefs we formed in childhood or under pressure.

Here are some I’ve heard (and held):

I’m unlovable
It’s safer to be silent
I take up too much space
I’m the “dumb one”

They may sound harsh. But if we accepted them early and never examined them, they can run the show.

Try asking: Which of my beliefs feel fused to my identity—or my survival?

6. Beliefs vs. Auto Thoughts: Know the difference

Auto Thoughts are usually fleeting and repetitive, like “I’m a mess” or “This is never going to work.” Beliefs are more foundational and persistent. You might not say them aloud, but they form the basis of those thoughts.

For example, the thought “I look terrible” might be supported by beliefs like:

I’m unattractive
Being attractive is unsafe
Looking good takes energy I don’t have

Seeing this difference helps you work at the right level—not just patching a thought, but addressing the structure underneath.

7. Beliefs can be hard to spot

Two clues to help you find them:

Observability: Auto Thoughts are easier to notice because they repeat. Beliefs often fade into the background.
Perceived validity: Beliefs feel more true—even when they’re not. That sense of truth makes them harder to challenge.

Spotting a belief requires slowing down and asking: Do I really believe this? And where did it come from?

8. Beliefs often prevent change

Let’s say you want to shift from “I look terrible” to “I look great.” If that leap feels impossible, a hidden belief is probably anchoring the old thought in place.

Wanting to change the thought won’t work unless you bring the belief into the light and question it.

Try asking: Where do I feel stuck? What belief might be holding that stuck place in place?

9. Auto Thoughts can create Beliefs

The relationship works both ways. When a thought is repeated often enough, especially during emotional moments, it can harden into a belief.

“I’m not enough,” thought over and over again, becomes a lens through which you see the world. And once it settles in, you stop questioning it.

Try asking: Are there thoughts I repeat so often they’ve started to feel like truth?

Can beliefs be changed? Absolutely.

The beautiful thing about beliefs is that they aren’t fixed. Even long-held, deeply rooted beliefs can shift when we bring them into awareness and experiment with new perspectives. That’s part of what this series is about—learning how to gently uncover, examine, and ultimately rewire the beliefs that no longer serve us. In upcoming episodes, we’ll explore specific tools to help you do just that.

Thanks for reading. I’d love to hear from you. What beliefs have shaped your life—or which are you ready to retire?

Until next time,
Judith

Tags beliefs, Cognitive Reframing, Negative Thinking, self-awareness

Auto-thoughts Course Episodes Markers

Auto-Thoughts

Auto-Thought

Ep03 – A: Auto-thoughts The Hidden Thoughts That Run Your Life—and How to Catch Them

Hey there!

Good morning. I’m Judith Driscoll, a psychotherapist and creator of the mini-courses in this series.

Stories We Share

We’ve all shared personal stories—condensed or expanded, depending on the audience. At 65, my full story could take days to tell. But most often, we offer just what’s needed: a little window into who we are.

We choose what to share, tailoring the narrative for the listener. With clients, I tell one version. With friends, another. And there’s always that polished version for conferences.

We’re usually conscious of how we present ourselves in these public stories.

Stories We Keep Private

But what about the private ones—the tangle of thoughts that loop through our heads all day?

The content’s not so different from what we share: our people, our work, our struggles. What is different is that these internal stories don’t get shaped or edited. They just run.

And yet, they influence us deeply.

Why It Matters

Internal stories—especially the repetitive ones—become the foundation of how we see ourselves. I call them Auto Thoughts. These thoughts reveal our core beliefs, trigger emotions, and, in my experience, often create our life events.

We’ve overlooked how powerful they are.

But what if we treated these inner stories like we do the ones we share—editing, shaping, and intentionally choosing what gets airtime?

That’s the idea behind this series.

What Are Auto Thoughts?

Here are a few I’ve heard just in the past week:

I look terrible.
I’m a dolt.
This is only going to get worse.
I don’t care.
I’ll probably end up homeless.

These are Auto Thoughts because they’re repetitive and automatic. They arise quickly, often without our awareness, and they carry emotional weight.

They’re also familiar. Even if you didn’t think them today, they’ve probably passed through your mind before.

Now, let’s imagine the opposite set:

I look good.
I’m smart.
This is only going to get better.
I care.
I’ll always have a warm, comfortable place to call home.
These don’t come up as often—and that’s telling.

We’re wired for negativity, which means we need to become more intentional about recognizing and working with our positive thoughts.

Thoughts Shape Lives

Most Auto Thoughts are self-fulfilling. Positive ones lead us toward what we love. Negative ones keep us stuck.

They influence our words, our choices, and the connections we make. In my experience, Auto Thoughts also predict—and then go on to create—life events.

It’s hard to say exactly how, but over time, they carve paths—paths that become our storylines.

I can trace most of my own joy and success to a handful of uplifting thoughts I chose to believe. And I’m guessing you can too.

A Real-Life Auto Thought

I’ll let you in on something: as I write this, one Auto Thought keeps yelling, You’re going to fail.

It’s not just about this email—it’s a general fear that creeps in when I create something new. “Shut up,” it says.

I know it well. It used to show up constantly. It’s quieter now, but still here.

Like many persistent Auto Thoughts, it thinks it’s protecting me. Long ago, I believed it was safer to stay quiet than speak my truth. We’ll explore beliefs like that in the next episode.

What About You?

Do your Auto Thoughts get loud when you’re on the cusp of something good?

Maybe they hold you back from saying what you want to say or doing what you’re meant to do.

They disguise themselves as reality. But they’re just stories—repetitive ones.

Some have been with you for decades. I didn’t realize “Shut up!” was one of mine until about ten years ago.

That’s how deep they run.

We’ll Do This Together

In this series, I’ll walk you through each Element of the Regeneratively Rooted system. And yes, I’ll be doing it right alongside you—working with my own Auto Thoughts, Beliefs, and more.

Especially the one that says I shouldn’t hit “send” on this email.

Cost? It’s Free

This series is completely free—and I hope to keep future offerings free as well. If you feel moved to give back, keep reading.

An Invitation

My favorite conversations are the ones that get to the heart of things. I help clients explore whether the story they’re living is the story they want to live.

If it’s not, I’ve got tools for that.

One of my core beliefs is that we each hold our own inner expertise. You are the expert on you.

And while we’re developing that inner knowing, we can also connect—with each other. This series is a place to begin that.

Would you share with me?

What are your most persistent Auto Thoughts—either painful or uplifting?

Click below to share. I’ll read every message. And I’ll never share anything unless you ask me to.

Thanks for reading. Until next time—

Warmly,

Judith

Auto-thoughts Beliefs Consequences Course Episodes Discourse Emotions Family GO HOme Imagine JI Markers Tools

Start Here: How to Explore the Blog & Core Curriculum

Post author By Judith Driscoll
Post date April 13, 2022
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The image below shows an example of the kind of inner change this site is here to support.

Our minds don’t always do “order,” do they?

When I used to help parents with kids who were struggling, I’d always come back to two trusty guides: structure and consistency. The more things were falling apart, the more those two helped hold things together.

Turns out, the same thing applies when your mind is the one throwing the tantrum.

Structure means getting to know the core elements I’ll introduce here—simple, powerful pieces that work together to create awareness and change. You’ll start by using Markers to spot what’s going on beneath the surface, then apply Tools to help shift what isn’t working. These all come together in three main parts:

Markers – little clues that help surface what’s been buried underground. They pull up patterns, beliefs, emotions, and other sneaky things that run the show.
Tools – ways to shift what the Markers reveal. These are practices, reframes, and approaches to help change the stuff that’s not serving you.
Plots – the where of your life: career, relationships, body, spiritual path. And the when things shift moments—the plot twists, unexpected challenges, and growth edges that invite you to rethink your path. Plots are where the work gets real—and rich with meaning.

Consistency just means bringing these elements into some kind of rhythm—something that helps you understand what’s really going on, and lets that understanding spark change. It might be a daily practice, a go-to strategy for when emotions run high, or simply a gentle way to track your growth over time.

No pressure. No perfection. Just a set of solid stepping stones for those of us who like to wander with a map and a sense of adventure.

So go ahead—pick a post that speaks to you. Follow a trail of breadcrumbs. Or just poke around and see what finds you.

To explore by topic, head to the bottom of the blog page where you’ll find a list of categories.

Tags daily practice, how to start, inner work, personal growth, self-awareness