Suggestions for dealing with self-sabotaging behavior

The negative inner voice is something that many of us face. When it becomes constant, it is the biggest obstacle to achieving our goals because it causes us to sabotage ourselves.

What's worse is that we often do these things without even realizing that we are thinking and behaving in these ways. For example, do you say to yourself, "You can't do it!", "It's too hard!", "You'll probably fail!" These are the most obvious examples of self-sabotaging behavior...

Let's take a look at the feelings, thoughts and behavioral patterns that cause self-sabotage, how self-sabotage manifests itself and how we can deal with it.

Self-sabotaging behavior occurs when your rational, conscious mind is in conflict with your subconscious mind. So, for example, your conscious mind telling you to exercise conflicts with your subconscious mind that can't stop you from eating sweets. The second is your anti-personality, which is the opposite of the self you want to become. This anti-personality is the voice of "You can't do it!" that prevents you from achieving the things you want in life and is often fueled by emotions such as pain, failure and fear. However, these limiting thoughts prevent you from achieving your goals and dreams.

If any of your behaviors creates problems in your life for no other reason or prevents you from achieving your long-term goals, we can define this behavior as self-sabotaging behavior. Procrastination, alcohol and drug abuse, and self-harm are some of the most common self-sabotaging behaviors. Although these behaviors may seem to comfort you, when repeated over a long period of time, they harm you.

Many people are often unaware that they are self-harming or self-sabotaging because they may not immediately see the effects of their behavior. Behavioral therapy and motivational therapies can be used as treatment methods to eliminate self-sabotaging behavior.

To identify your feelings, ask yourself these questions

Do you have goals and dreams that you have set for yourself but never realized?

Are there situations where you constantly fail for no apparent reason?

Are you not motivated to do anything you really want to do?

Find the root causes

Many of us can choose irrational and unhealthy ways of dealing with stress. Many of these thoughts are about how we feel about ourselves and our self-worth. It can be helpful to find the root causes of these behaviors and try to change them.

Question your negative thoughts

Challenging these thoughts when you think you are talking negatively to yourself can also help you overcome them. What is behind this self-sabotaging behavior? Are these thoughts rational thoughts? Could it be that your previous negative attempts are preventing you from making a positive change?

Change the way you behave

If you are sabotaging yourself, you need to change your negative behaviors. The conscious or unconscious steps we take in every moment can be the ones that move us forward or hold us back. Recognize how your behaviors and thoughts are holding you back from unlocking your true potential and achieving your goals.

Make small but meaningful changes

Even if you haven't made a habit of doing the things you need to do for yourself, that doesn't mean you can't make small changes that will help you stay on track and have a clearer mind. You can hang motivational quotes in different parts of your home, or motivate yourself with photos that visualize the goals you want to achieve. Once you have identified the changes you want to make, you can start with any item you want to work on. It is not easy and realistic to make big changes that will change your whole life at once.

Set goals and make a plan

When faced with self-sabotaging behaviors, we often don't know what to do. Instead of moving forward with confidence, we often react negatively to situations and are left with thoughts of inadequacy. The easiest way to overcome this is to make plans for the future. With a well-designed plan, with steps that predetermine each step we will take, we can know where we are heading and our reactions to events and situations will become clearer.