The Importance of Recognizing Self-Sabotaging Behavior

You know now that your inner critic does not offer constructive criticism. It gives you the exact opposite, spouting untruths and exaggerations that are meant to keep you in your place. Listening to your own negative self-talk is self-defeating. Giving into that voice will never allow you to move ahead. That’s why it’s so important to take small steps toward overcoming it.

Recognizing self-sabotaging behavior is a big step toward stopping it in its tracks. Keep these things in mind when your inner critic starts acting up.

Pay Attention to Your Feelings

How you think has a direct and strong effect on how you feel, which then translates into your actions. Pay attention to your mood. If you’re experiencing any kind of negative emotion, that’s a key sign that you should take care with your thoughts. Feelings of sadness, anger, or anxiety will definitely influence that inner critic of yours. Listening to what it’s saying during these times of complex, negative emotions will likely lead to a negative outcome. You only sabotage yourself when trying to make decisions when dealing with these emotions. Instead, recognize and acknowledge your feelings. Reassure yourself that your self-talk isn’t likely to be realistic or true at this time.

Listen to Your Words

You should also pay attention to the words you’re saying and the way you’re acting if you want to gain insight into whether or not your negative self-talk is becoming a problem. If you find yourself complaining or criticizing frequently, there’s a good chance it’s because your inner critic is spiraling out of control. Many of us become so used to this voice in the back of our minds that we don’t even notice it on a regular basis. We just accept this self-criticism as a part of ourselves. If you take time to notice patterns in your words and actions, you’ll be better able to gauge the negativity of your thoughts.

Understand the Connection

Now it’s time to put it all together. Do you now see just how interconnected your inner thoughts, feelings, and actions are? They influence each other and can work quite well together to hold you back. This type of self-sabotage can be countered once you’re better able to recognize when things are starting to go sideways.
Take care to pay attention to the ways in which you think, feel, and act in order to get control of your inner critic. Once you do that, you’ll be able to stop yourself from becoming your own worst enemy.

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