Self-Sabotaging is when you become harmful to yourself. Now you may ask how one can be harmful to oneself. Well, there are many possibilities and I am not talking about cutting yourself, suicide, etc. They too come under self-harm but not self-sabotage. Self-sabotage behavior is when you take some wrong steps and decrease your chances of achieving your goal. You work hard, invest time, money, energy, all your resources in some work and you still don’t get the desired results. It feels frustrating and devastating to give in all and still not get anything done.
You can significantly change the results of your hard work by being mindful of the times when you self-sabotage. Today, in this article, I am going to share with you some of the common ways oneself sabotages himself or herself. Have a look.
Self-Sabotage Behavior
1. Overthinking
Are you an over-thinker too? Now don’t start thinking if you are or not because that will defeat the purpose of this article. People who overthink have too many options and concerns in front of them that if they start counting it then they would go on another thinking spree.
Overthinking, over planning, over analyzing are something which can be a very good activity if you are getting paid for it. But not all of us are hired to think tanks and so we need to stop. Planning and analyzing is good but too much of it can result in you wasting your energy and time with no conclusion at the end.
2. Waiting for the right time
This is just another way of saying, waiting for the universe’s signal. Well, the universe has given the signal already. You have realized that something should be done that is signal enough. You don’t have to wait for the right time or for a particular time. Right time is now and if you are still on your couch, then it’s just procrastination.
It may seem a bit harsh but I have been there personally and I know how it feels. I also know the regret that people feel after the time has passed and they still feel like they haven’t done anything.
Here is a TED talk on procrastination that you would like to see. Have a look:
3. Giving Up
We think of million of things, rethink thousands, work on hundreds, and give up on almost all. Many of us start or want to start many things, it can be a new course, new blog, new language, new hobby or even going to the gym, and after a couple of weeks, we find ourselves back on our bed, scrolling through our Instagram feed. For anything to succeed, you will have to work on it and stop giving up on everything midway.
4. Consistency
Are you consistent enough? Are you practicing every day? Humans are designed to progress, learn, and grow through consistency. Let me give you an example. There is a 1 kilo bag of dry fruits in front of you. Now if you eat all of it in one go, you might face several difficulties with not just eating it but also digesting it. You might also suffer from food poisoning. It has a lot of fiber, minerals, vitamins, nutrients, proteins that are not present in normal food.
And on the other hand, you eat less than a handful of them every day. So through which method would you be able to benefit from the most? Obviously, the later one. We are not designed like camels are. We can’t store in one go, be it food, knowledge, or skill. Consistency is the key.
You may also like: What is Eustress and 9 Real-Life Examples of Eustress
5. Limiting yourself
Have you been underestimating yourself? Is inferiority stopping you from trying on something new? This may be the biggest reason for your self-sabotaging behavior. People stop in their tracks of trying something new or learning something which they haven’t before.
I also stopped myself from performing on stage but when I did, I and the audience found out that I have an innate talent for it. I was so surprised that I was not able to believe it myself for a long time. So don’t yourself. You might not be aware of the wonders that you are hiding inside of yourself.
I hope this helps!
