Self-sabotage is a destructive behavior that can strip people of their motivation and make them feel anxious. It undermines success despite our own desires, dreams, or values. Common self-sabotage behaviors include procrastination, self-medication with drugs or alcohol, comfort eating, and forms of self-harm such as cutting. It is rooted in counterproductive mentalities such as negativity, disorganization, indecision, and negative self-talk.
Perfectionism and imposter syndrome are also forms of self-sabotage. Self-sabotage is when we actively or passively take action to prevent us from reaching our goals. This behavior can affect almost every aspect of our lives, whether it's a relationship, a professional goal, or a personal goal such as weight loss. Although it's very common, it's an incredibly frustrating cycle of behavior that reduces our self-confidence and makes us feel trapped.
The reasons for self-sabotage are complex but often come from a lack of faith in oneself. Meaningless distractions are an insidious and ubiquitous form of self-sabotage that prohibits the achievement of the goal. If your alternative behavior to stress eating after work is eating a small, healthy snack instead of eating junk food, what could stand in the way of that new behavior? That's why using Vision Boards can be helpful. A vision board appeals to the right side of the brain that is more connected to its artistic and less rational side.
Using images, sounds, scents, tactile material, etc. can help you communicate with your amygdala-driven self. Recent research has confirmed that procrastination is an emotional form of self-sabotage. If this sounds familiar, he could be sabotaging himself. Self-sabotage refers to behaviors or thought patterns that slow you down and prevent you from doing what you want to do.
It can be seen as a pattern of thoughts and behaviors in which you participate, often without even knowing it, that creates obstacles to achieving your goals. The most common examples of self-sabotage include chronic struggles with food, alcohol, drugs, gambling, and self-harm. It can also manifest in the form of perfectionism or imposter syndrome. Self-sabotage can be incredibly frustrating as it reduces our self-confidence and makes us feel trapped. When we are aware that we are self-sabotaging, the critic's voice starts to hit us and shame takes hold of us and our thinking is distorted.
This can be due to growing up being constantly criticized and belittled by our parents or guardians. Self-sabotage can also manifest in relationships when we subconsciously take action to prevent us from reaching our goals. The key to changing this behavior is understanding its origins. We must recognize when we are engaging in self-sabotaging behavior and take steps to stop it. This could mean eliminating a career or position through self-sabotage or recognizing when fear is preventing us from achieving our goals. Self-sabotage can be incredibly damaging but understanding why we do it is the first step towards stopping it.
By recognizing our patterns of behavior and taking steps to change them, we can break free from this destructive cycle.
