Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash
Following on from my last blog on burnout (here), this time I explore (i) how scarcity mindset can keep us stuck and small, preventing us from really living well and(ii) how to get unstuck through therapy or other wellbeing practices, to make the most of our limited time on Earth.
We all think we have more time… to be happy, to have more harmonious relationships, to tie up the loose ends, perhaps to live a different kind of life.
Life is finite. It’s a simple truth, but one that we often push to the back of our minds as we move through the daily grind. On average, each of us has approximately 29,000 days (80 years) on this Earth if we are lucky, less than that if we only count those years when we can expect to be fit and healthy, and how we choose to live them determines the quality of our existence. Yet, many of us let one essential aspect of our wellbeing slip through the cracks: our mental health.
We are quick to prioritise careers, families, and social obligations, often forgetting that without mental wellness, none of these things can truly thrive. So why do we often shy away from therapy or self-care practices that could improve our quality of life?
The answers are often tied to feelings of overwhelm: therapy feels too hard, too expensive, or too time-consuming. But these barriers are not insurmountable. In fact, they stem from a scarcity mindset, restricting our potential for growth, joy, and peace.
The Scarcity Trap
Scarcity mindset is that nagging feeling that there is just not enough—enough time, enough money, or enough energy. It is a lens that distorts, making certain priorities feel more urgent and more difficult than the reality. In the context of mental health, it convinces us that therapy is a luxury we cannot afford, or that we can “deal with it later.”
But later may never come.
Scarcity thinking thrives on immediate concerns, blinding us to the bigger picture. Yes, therapy can be costly, but what is the long-term cost of not addressing your mental health? Yes, it takes time, but what kind of time are you losing when you spend days, months, or even years trapped in patterns of anxiety, depression, or burnout?
The human brain is built around the premise of survival first. If we have experienced any kind of emotional difficulty, it will remind us of that, keeping us stuck and small, long after the hardship has passed. It can lock us into cycles of fear, self-doubt, and dissatisfaction. We settle into these patterns, convinced that this is just how life is—stressful, overwhelming, hard. But it does not have to be that way.
Therapy can liberate us from those limitations. It can give perspective, helping us to see beyond the immediate, into the bigger picture of our lives. We may begin to understand that many of the challenges we face are not permanent, that our past does not need to dictate all aspects of our present and that change is possible.
The challenge, of course, is that breaking free from this mindset requires action. It requires the recognition that your mental health is worth prioritizing *now*, not later. You may eventually start to see therapy or mental wellness as a gift to yourself.
Live well, live now
We all want to live well. But living well requires us to be courageous in the choices that support our overall wellbeing. And therapy can feel like a big effort. Consider the payoff of living fully, with a clear mind and an open heart.
So ask yourself: if not now, when? What if you started living for today, what if you planted the seeds of your dreams right now? Therapy can be a great place to start.
