Self-Sabotaging Behaviors

Have you ever heard the expression, “you are your own worst enemy”? How many times have we acted in opposition to our self-interest, then asked ourselves why did we self-destruct? Why did we procrastinate on that work project or that school assignment? Why did we say that to a loved one? Why have we stopped doing that one thing that makes us feel great? Self-sabotaging thoughts and behaviors are perpetuated by an inner critic we all possess, a voice inside our head that can be seen as a critical inner voice. This critical inner voice isn’t uplifting. It doesn’t try to build us up and make us feel proud of ourselves. It doesn’t represent a positive sense of self, so it should NOT be trusted.   For so long, I listened to my own critical inner voice that made me doubt myself, doubt my abilities, undermine my possible successes, which convinced me that I was worthless. It convinced me that I didn’t deserve to be happy, joyous, and free. I didn’t deserve to achieve that personal success, no matter how big or small. I didn’t deserve to find someone that would love me no matter what; because, to be honest, I didn’t even love myself. And that’s what it comes down to: self-love.  I realized that, in order to combat this critical inner voice, I needed to truly believe that I was worth it. I deserved to be happy. I deserved to enjoy life. It was necessary for me to understand that I was not put on this earth to be miserable, no one is. So, we can’t let this critical inner voice run our lives. We can’t let it make us afraid and fearful of putting ourselves out there because of possible failure. We have to embrace that possibility of failure, just like we embrace the possibility of success. Don’t let you become your own worst enemy. Instead become your number one supporter, because you love yourself and know that you deserve to be happy.