Are you a competitive person? Even with yourself? Putting pressure on you can be inspiring — you have the internal flame to progress and get better in all you touch. But, how much is too much pressure? If you are too hard on yourself you may be doing more harm than good. Do any of these signs sound familiar?
1. Setting unrealistic expectations
Setting the bar high is one thing, but too high? It can actually be a motivation killer. Goals are a product of optimism and confidence.
Constantly seeking to achieve milestones only possibly by a superhuman will inevitably set you up for disappointment and a lack of confidence— it’s OK to aim high, but keep it within reasonable expectations.
2. Constantly comparing yourself
We all like to feel like we’re the best at something. When our peers ask us for advice, it’s rewarding. But no one is the most elite at everything they do.
Get to know your strengths, and leave room for being inferior in certain situations. If you have the mentality you should be the best at everything, you’ll start to compare your accomplishments to everyone you meet. This is a slippery slope, so rise above.
3. Negative thoughts
Imagine this common scenario; you’ve just received a multiple choice test back from your professor. You missed one question, but can still see the traces of lead on the correct answer, which you erased last minute. We’ve all felt this frustration, “why did I overthink the answer, I had it right”.
Some people can brush this situation off, chalk it up as a lesson learned. Those who are too hard on themselves hold this frustration in and start developing more negativity in their mind. This seemingly simple error will ruin their day. Negativity is a productivity and creativity killer. When you feel yourself slipping into a negative mindset, take a five minute breather; bring yourself back to a positive place.
4. Over thinker
Do you ever find yourself mulling over a recent experience that you wish you would have responded differently to? Something these situations can haunt us for days, weeks, or even longer after the experience. You find every possible thing you should have said or done, but didn’t. There is no purpose in overthinking a situation.
Your overthinking could be completely unwarranted. Pull yourself up, if you think you were in the wrong, learn from your lesson and move on. The more you overthink yourself the more prone you are to irrationality. Everyone makes a mistake here and there.
Turning life experiences into learning experiences is great.
Holding yourself to a high standard is great. But don’t overdo it. Placing unnecessary stress on yourself is counterproductive — be kind to yourself
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