Our mindset plays a crucial role in how we see ourselves and others. Simply put, our mindset shapes our beliefs in accomplishing a new feat or developing an ability.

Those with a growth mindset believe they can master skills and overcome obstacles if they work hard enough.

People with a fixed mindset believe they are naturally gifted at doing some things but completely incapable of others.

As stated previously, neuroplasticity is the ability for the brain to learn, adapt, and reshape itself in response to change (repetition, perseverance, sustained effort) and new, challenging experiences.

Without a growth mindset, individuals, especially those with mental health challenges, do not believe they have the power to control how their brains function, and thus, they struggle to overcome obstacles that prevent them from reaching their full potential.

The brain is currently viewed the most complex and multifaceted system in our universe, with supposedly billions of neurons and trillions of connections between them, whether individually or across neural networks.

We are just beginning to tap into understanding how the brain works, and how changes in the brain result in changes of the mind.

In spite of only being in its infancy, neuroscience research has a tendency to make strong assertions, such as the belief that mental illness is permanent and can only be managed for the rest of our lives.

New discoveries are continuously debunking and modifying these claims; we've learned that individuals with mental illness can recover, but it is largely contingent on the severity of the illness, access to psychological and peer support, age of onset, as well as medical treatment and self-care practices.

Nonetheless, the assertion that mental illness is fixed and incurable is widely accepted, which in turn, makes it even harder for individuals to maintain a growth mindset and reach recovery. It is important to always be skeptical of claims of absolutes in neuroscience, as we are not fully aware of what the brain is capable of.

You can catch yourself falling into old, fixed-mindset habits and reword how you talk to yourself.

Example: If you drop something and break it, your fixed mindset may say, “I’m so clumsy”, but you can change your response to be more compassionate, such as "It's not the end of the world. I can always buy a new one. I'll work on being more careful from now on."

You can reach out to others to discuss mistakes or make concrete plans for achieving your goals.

Adopting a growth mindset in any field enables us to make the impossible possible and allows us to improve our abilities and achieve self-actualization.