Do YOU self-sabotage? Psychologist reveals six signs

A psychologist has revealed six ways you can sabotage yourself, from setting incredibly high standards for yourself to getting discouraged before you even try.

Dr Lalitaa Suglani, a Birmingham-based chartered psychologist, shared the information in a to post on Instagram, where he has more than 110,000 followers.

In the post, he said the behavior is said to be self-sabotaging “when it creates problems in daily life and interferes with long-term goals.”

Dr. Lalitaa added that people sabotage themselves for a variety of reasons, which can include “fear, low self-esteem, trust issues, high expectations, and inadequate relationship skills.”

She explained: “To avoid uncomfortable feelings, people will stay somewhere where they feel ‘safe’, controlled and comfortable, even though they know they don’t want to be there.”

However, the psychologist pointed out that it is possible to overcome self-sabotage and offered information and advice on how to achieve it.

She wrote: ‘You can overcome self-sabotage by becoming aware of your behavior patterns and changing them.

“The more awareness you gain about your patterns, the more you can implement small changes in your daily life to help you overcome them.”

Among the six signs that you may be sabotaging yourself, Dr. Lalitaa listed discouragement before even trying.

Saying ‘yes’ when you want to say ‘no’ because you don’t want to upset the other person was another factor added to the list.

He added that ignoring signs that you need a break that leads to stress, anxiety and burnout is another sign that you may be sabotaging yourself.

Meanwhile, setting high expectations that aren’t realistic to achieve also made a spot on Dr. Lalitaa’s list of six signs of self-sabotage.

Another sign included by the psychologist was constant procrastination.

Finally, he said, not allowing yourself things until you’ve “earned” them or putting yourself down is also a sign you may be sabotaging yourself.

Dr. Lalitaa added that self-sabotage “often stems from low self-esteem, negative self-talk, and related negative emotions.”

These, he went on to explain in the comment accompanying his post, are “continually reinforced by the resulting failure.”

She wrote: “You can defeat self-sabotage by monitoring your behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and beliefs about yourself, and challenging them when they get between you and your goals.”

The psychologist shared four tips you can use to try to help when dealing with self-sabotage.

He suggested identifying your self-sabotaging behaviors, creating a habit of journaling, and practicing mindfulness.

Her fourth piece of advice when it comes to trying to beat self-sabotage is to not compare yourself to others.

Dr Lalitaa also noted: ‘Instagram is not a substitute for therapy. Please be aware of how you interpret these posts and do not self-diagnose.