When used excessively, it is consistently associated with less motivation, worse self-control, and greater procrastination. In fact, self-criticism shifts the brain into a state of inhibition, which prevents you from taking action to reach your goals.
What Does It Mean When You Are Hard on Yourself? Generally, being hard on yourself means that you have self-imposed consequences or you allow and accept a range of consequences (that you see as justified) for something you perceive to be a mistake.
Being Hard on Yourself Has Negative Consequences
Self-criticism is such a common component of anxiety that it really could be listed as part of the criteria for generalized anxiety disorder. Anxious thoughts and emotions frequently cause people to be verbally and emotionally abusive to themselves.
“Self-critical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-critical.
It's important to note that only a mental health professional can diagnose a mental health condition. Therefore, the only way to receive a definite answer to the question, “Do I have a mental illness, or am I overreacting?”, is to get in touch with a professional at an accredited treatment center.
Always being hard on yourself can also be the result of childhood trauma or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). One way a child copes is unfortunately to internalise the experience(s) as their own fault, bringing on a lifetime of shame and low self-esteem until support for trauma is found.
Why do we put pressure on ourselves? This is a question with no easy answer, but the most common reasons people put pressure on themselves are because they feel like they have to do well in a certain area of their life or they feel like they have to do well so that people around them will be proud of them.
If you're so future-focused that you don't spend much time thinking about what you've already accomplished — or what you're working on right now — you might be pushing yourself too hard. Do yourself a favor, and return to the present moment, where you can derive more joy from your job and be more effective.
Causes of low self-esteem
Unhappy childhood where parents (or other significant people such as teachers) were extremely critical. Poor academic performance in school resulting in a lack of confidence. Ongoing stressful life event such as relationship breakdown or financial trouble.
Negative self-talk can come from a place of depression, low self-confidence, and anxiety and be part of a more significant mental health concern. However, you may also have habits that are causing negative self-talk. Some of these habits include: Not addressing relationship problems.
Being more emotional than usual. Feeling overwhelmed or on edge. Trouble keeping track of things or remembering. Trouble making decisions, solving problems, concentrating, getting your work done.
If the situation doesn't quickly improve, and the excessive pressure is prolonged, the person runs the risk of burning out . Worse still, they could become physically ill or develop psychological and emotional issues such as depression, or behavioral problems like aggressiveness.
After retraumatization, an individual with PTSD will go through a period of heightened sensibility and renewed vulnerability to traumatic memories. This means greater stress and anxiety, and chronic stress is related to the onset or exacerbation of numerous medical conditions, including: Cardiovascular disease.
Initial reactions to trauma can include exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, dissociation, confusion, physical arousal, and blunted affect. Most responses are normal in that they affect most survivors and are socially acceptable, psychologically effective, and self-limited.
Chronicfatigue, tiredness, and lack of energy.
"When the body cannot handle emotional overload, it simply begins to shut down. And that is often manifested by a sense of extreme tiredness and fatigue," says Kalayjian.
Common symptoms of stress in women include: Physical. Headaches, difficulty sleeping, tiredness, pain (most commonly in the back and neck), overeating/under eating, skin problems, drug and alcohol misuse, lack of energy, upset stomach, less interest in sex/other things you used to enjoy.
feel overwhelmed — unable to concentrate or make decisions. be moody — feeling low or depression; feeling burnt out; emotional outbursts of uncontrollable anger, fear, helplessness or crying. feel depersonalised — not feeling like themselves or feeling detached from situations.