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What Is Self-Sabotage?

What Is Self-Sabotage?

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You may feel stuck sometimes or unworthy. This is all because you are doubting your abilities. However, what is self-sabotaging? It usually refers to undermining your own actions towards success or your well-being. This builds up a negative approach towards your life decisions. This happens because of various factors such as low self-esteem and childhood traumas.

Common Signs Of Self-Sabotaging Behaviour

Self-sabotaging behaviour leads you to cause a lot of trouble. It prevents individuals from pursuing their own goals and actions. This will stop individuals from achieving their life goals. However, the following are some common self-sabotaging behaviours in your daily life activities.

Procrastination:

The term self-sabotage means delaying your own actions. For instance, you have an exam tomorrow and you are not preparing for it. In this phase, you are delaying unless you fail.

Read More: Coping Mechanisms For Depression: Practical Strategies To Help You Navigate

Self-Negative Talk:

The excessiveness of everything is not good for your mental health. Continuous speaking with negative talk depicts depression in a person. In this way, you don’t feel worthy of anything.

Perfectionist:

The individual sets high standards for themselves to achieve anything. These unrealistic expectations bring fear and negative energy.

Avoidance:

A person can neglect their own thoughts. He will distance himself from his surrounding people. He will avoid any futuristic responsibility and challenges.

Medication:

The medication can help you cure various diseases. A person can use this path to overcome self-sabotage.

Read More: Understanding Episodic Acute Stress: Causes, Symptoms, And Management

Why Do People Self-Sabotage?

The most common question that arises is Why do people self-sabotage?

People can sabotage themselves for various reasons. It can vary depending on certain circumstances. It creates a frustrating cycle within a person. It prevents them from inner and outer growth. In addition to this, people can sabotage for the following reasons.

Low Self-Esteem:

The self-sabotaging person can easily be offended. They are the easy ones to target. They have a lack of confidence. Also, their self-sabotaging behavior develops the

negative beliefs and makes them vulnerable.

Childhood Traumas:

Childhood trauma can play a significant role. Childhood traumas can be a prominent reason behind it if you have come from a dysfunctional family. This can cause attachment issues. This way, you distance yourself from others.

Cognitive Dissonance:

Cognitive dissonance is defined as when you project two conflicting ideas towards the same thing. You might start liking someone. But due to bad past experiences, you are unable to trust or start the process.

Read More: The Hidden Mental Scars of Childhood Trauma in Adults

The Impact Of Self-Sabotage:

Self-sabotage is an extremely unhealthy habit for your mental well-being. It may feel like you are protecting yourself from negative energy. But you are continuously revolving yourself into negative thoughts and patterns.

Career Stagnation:

This may stop you from grabbing new opportunities. This way you avoid to learn new things that can be helpful for your personal growth.

Strained Relationships:

You may feel like Why do I self-sabotage when things are going well? This can happen due to past bad experiences. They self-sabotage themselves. So, they can avoid attachment to people you love. Also, their Mood Disorders can impact their relationships. It can cause them to struggle with emotional availability.

Mental Issues:

This behaviour can cause anxiety and ADHD. Self-sabotage is also used as a coping mechanism. The people used it to cope with stress and anxiety. This way, people are likely to avoid any opportunity that can benefit them.

Read More: What’s The Difference Between A Mood Disorder And A Personality Disorder?

Signs To Recognize Self-Sabotaging

You can check out the following signs that indicate a self-sabotaging person.

  • Self Criticism
  • Chronic Procrastination
  • Avoiding
  • Blaming Others
  • Fear Of Failure & Success
  • Use Drugs & Alcohol
  • Lack Of Trust

Strategies For Overcoming Self-Sabotage

It is something that we all do in our lives. This way, you stop doing important tasks, knowing that it is important for you. So, how to stop self-sabotage? There are some practices that you need to include in your life.

Mindfulness Practices:

You can do medication and dress your negative thoughts. This way you will be able to channelize your negative thoughts.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy:

This is a form of therapy. This includes identifying your negative emotions and behavioural patterns.

Goal Setting:

You set achievable goals. Starting with something is always better than nothing. This will make positive changes in your behaviour.

Self-Compassion:

Start loving yourself. This will give you big relief. Also, you can join a Telepsychiatry session. Self-love builds up confidence in you.

Read More: Do You Ever Wonder That Your OCD Thoughts Are Not Real?

The Role Of Therapy In Self Sabotaging:

Therapy can play a crucial role in self-sabotage. It can depict the reasons for

What causes self-sabotaging behavior? Also, working with a therapist can bring positive changes to your personality. There are few therapies for self-sabotage.

Psychodynamic Therapy:

The person works on Freud’s term, repetitive compulsion. A person continues to do things unconsciously that are harmful to themselves. However, in this psychotherapy, a person acknowledges the unconscious actions and reasons. They get awareness of their negative patterns. This helps them in better understanding. Also, this motivates them towards positive change. Besides this, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry approach can be used to cure mental illness caused by self-sabotage.

Dialectical Behavioural Therapy:

This will help people to regulate their emotions. This leads them to control their emotional abilities. This will help them to break down the self-sabotaging cycle.

Group Therapy:

You can join group therapy. This is a helpful tool to recognize your patterns. This way, you can learn different perspectives from different people’s life experiences. Also, you can do a session with Psychiatric Medication Management. They will prescribe you medicines that can manage your mental illness.

Read More: Major Depressive Disorder In Children: A Guide For Parents

Overcome Self-Sabotage To Embrace Personal Growth:

If you feel self-loathing, this symptom indicates Bipolar Disorder, stress, etc. You can make a transformative journey by recognizing your actions. You can do self-awareness practices for your behavioural patterns. This motivates you to take deliberate steps towards a positive change. This will develop healthy mindsets that face the challenges. Also, Orange Coast Psychiatry offers you the best treatments for mental illness. You can get our services for your overall well being.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can stop the self-sabotaging cycle by daily practice. You need to be honest to yourself to overcome this cycle. 

If you are in a continuous cycle of negative talk. This indicates that you are self-sabotaging yourself for a long period of time. You isolate your emotions and distance yourself from people. 

The common symptoms are procrastination, avoiding opportunities, and self-loathing, etc.

Unresolved trauma brings vulnerability and fear. This can make you stuck in the past. Also, this can cause negative thoughts that make you suffer.

Reference and Footnotes

Field, B. (2023, November 3). Self-Sabotaging: Why Does It Happen. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/why-people-self-sabotage-and-how-to-stop-it-5207635

 

BetterHelp Editorial Team. (2025, March 5). What Is Self-Sabotaging, And What Are Its Impacts? | BetterHelp. https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/punishment/what-is-self-sabotaging-and-what-are-its-impacts/

Tobin, J., PhD. (2025, January 29). The Psychology of Self-Sabotage: How Psychotherapy Fosters Positive Change – James Tobin Ph.D. James Tobin Ph.D. https://jamestobinphd.com/the-psychology-of-self-sabotage-how-psychotherapy-fosters-positive-change/#:~:text=Psychodynamic%20psychotherapy%20offers%20an%20opportun

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