05/29/2026
One thing I have learned from working with people is that most of us are much harder on ourselves than we realize.
People come to me wanting to stop overthinking, stop worrying, stop procrastinating, stop reacting the same way over and over again.
And almost always, they believe the problem is a lack of willpower.
It usually isn't.
What I see much more often is a person who has been practicing the same response for years.
Worrying. Checking. Preparing. Avoiding. Overthinking.
Not because they are weak.
Not because they are broken.
Because the mind and body learned that those responses were important.
And once something is repeated enough times, it starts feeling automatic.
Then one day people tell me:
"That's just how I am."
Maybe.
But maybe it isn't.
Maybe it is simply something that was learned so many times that it started feeling like part of your identity.
That possibility matters.
Because if something was learned, it can also be updated.
That is one of the most hopeful things I know.