076 | Self-Sabotage
Despite its name, self-sabotage isn’t out to sabotage us at all—it exists to help keep us safe from potential danger or harm. It’s a protective mechanism created by our psyches to keep us safe, and what’s safe for our psyche is often what’s familiar. So, when we try to change our lives, our psyche triggers the alarm bells inside us, reverting us to our status quo and labeling it as self-sabotage. But if we view self-sabotage with gentleness and compassion, we may be able to turn it from foe to ally.
In this episode, I explore self-sabotage and how it acts as a protective mechanism. I discuss compassionate curiosity, what it is, how it can help us work through our tendency to self-sabotage, and how we can develop it. I also outline the different ways our inner saboteur can manifest and explain how we can turn our fears from enemies to allies.
“When we stop viewing it as ‘sabotage’ and start viewing it as parts of the brain trying to keep us safe, we can develop compassionate curiosity to notice what’s going on and what we’re afraid of.”
-Karen Goldfinger Baker
This week on the Trauma Hiders Club Podcast:
● What our inner saboteur is trying to protect us from
● Imposter syndrome, ambivalence, fear of success, and other manifestations of self-sabotage
● The power of compassionate curiousity