Monday, February 13, 2023 Stop Sabotaging Yourself! Once you discover the why in the “What did I just do?” or “What am I thinking of doing?,” seek alternative methods to help you respond in a positive way Blogs Newsletters National By Quentin Steen, Representative No doubt you’ve heard the old adage, you are your own worst enemy. From the safety of my laptop, I would fully endorse that statement. sab·o·tage (sabəˌtäZH) – verb: deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something). Our relationships, careers, hopes, dreams, plans, goals, and personal development can all fall victim to self-sabotage. I can’t tell you the number of times when I purposefully and strategically “blew things up,” so to speak, because I allowed my reactivity, my racket, my chaos to get the best of me. What does self-sabotage look like? A while ago, I came across some self-sabotage techniques that lead to destructive and unhealthy patterns. 9 Ways We Self-Sabotage Reject praise and compliments. Don’t ask for help. Push people away when they start to get close. Open up and attach to others prematurely. Refuse to do something unless I can do it perfectly. Procrastinate on important projects. Put everyone else’s needs before my own. Constantly criticize myself. Isolate when I’m hurting. Stop sabotaging yourself. Take some time, by yourself or with a trusted friend, a life-pattern coach, or a trained therapist to expose the self-sabotage lying in the weeds of your life. Look at why you do the things you do. Do a sober assessment of yourself. Once you discover the why in the “What did I just do?” or “What am I thinking of doing?,” seek alternative methods to help you respond in a positive way. Look for alternatives that serve you better, ones that acknowledge your feelings, fears, habitual reactions, triggers, etc. but without the self-destructive consequences. Try it. You might be glad you did. The others in your life most certainly will. Quentin Steen is a certified mental health first aid instructor for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Get your BRAIN right and your MIND will follow! 4 Mental Health Resources to Help You If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health issue, CLAC has a number of resources and interactive tools available to help you at My Health and Wellness. Stronger Minds features videos and quick reads from mental health experts, activities to help you gain resilience, and ask-an-expert videos in response to questions. WellCan offers free well-being resources to help Canadians develop coping strategies and build resilience to help deal with uncertainty, mental health, and substance abuse concerns. Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support provides free online resources, tools, apps, and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals. You might be interested in Why We Work Safely 5 Jun 2026 Standing Your Ground, and Staying Steady on the Job 4 Jun 2026 CLAC Partners with Alberta Government to Advance Skilled Trades Training and Accelerate Certification 4 Jun 2026 Strathcona Mechanical Workers Ratify New Agreement Providing Wage, Scheduling Improvements 3 Jun 2026