Are You Self-Sabotaging?

Are You Self-Sabotaging?

You have enough to deal with in your life when it comes from outside sources, so the last thing you should be dealing with are obstacles you created yourself. Self-sabotage is much more common than people think, and is often so subtle that you don’t really you are doing it. Keep reading if you want to learn about the signs of self-sabotage, and how to stop this toxic bad habit.

Common Signs of Self-Sabotaging

The cruel thing about self-sabotage is that it is pain you are causing to yourself, but don’t always realize it. Here are some common signs that you have been sabotaging yourself and your own life.

You Focus Only on the Negative

The thing about being negative or having this type of mindset, is that it is so subtle, you don’t realize how much it is harming you. The more negative thoughts and feelings you have, the more you start to listen to your own mind, and don’t make room for positive thoughts.

You Procrastinate

Procrastinating is definitely a way of hurting you and your life, and absolutely can be considered self-sabotage. When you procrastinate, you are hurting the future you. You don’t get as much work done, miss deadlines, even potentially hurt your chances at a promotion at work. It keeps your business from going, and keeps you from reaching your goals. Being lazy is NOT going to help you.

You Are Always the Victim

Playing the victim isn’t going to get you sympathy or attention – it is only going to hurt you in the long run. Stop assuming you have bad luck, bad things only happen to you, or that your misfortune is the fault of other people. Are you an adult who can make your own decisions? If so, you’re not the victim.

You Compare Yourself to Others

Self-sabotage comes in many forms, and it isn’t always black and white. Sometimes, it is something that seems harmless, but is hurting you every time you do that. One example of this is when you are comparing yourself to others. You are not them, they are not you. You have different life experiences, different skills and talents, different friends. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they do – all you should worry about is what YOU do.

Once You Reach a Goal, You Lose it

Do you find that whenever you reach a goal or at least make progress towards one, you tend to then lose it? This is often from your own self-sabotage, something you do whether from a fear of success or loss of your motivation and focus. This is not only a sign of self-sabotage, but a side effect of it.

What You Can Do About it

Like anything else in your life, you are the one in control of your actions. Remember that you can stop self-sabotage and actually find happiness if you’re willing to put in the work. Here are some things you can do to stop this toxic habit:

Take Full Responsibility and Take Back Control

Taking responsibility for your actions is crucial, and is a topic that will keep coming up when you learn about how to improve your life. The reason is because people are easy to jump to negativity, assumptions, and excuses, but rarely take responsibility for their own actions and reactions.

If you are sabotaging yourself, that has nothing to do with anyone else, what happened to you in the past, or your “bad luck”. YOU did it, and only YOU can stop it.

Stop Yourself

Sometimes, those old habits of self-sabotage are hard to prevent. This is okay, as long as you don’t follow it through until the end. The more self-aware you become, the more you are able to recognize the signs of sabotaging your success early on, so that you can stop it dead in its tracks.

Do you notice that when you lose a few pounds, you instantly feel the urge to binge? There is probably a sign before this happens that lets you know what is about to happen. Look for that sign so you can be aware of it.