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Feb 25, 2020 · What to Do When Everything Seems to Be Going Wrong in Life. daily MOTIVATION. 2.62M subscribers. Subscribed. 5.2K. 196K views 4 years ago. When Things Go Wrong | POWERFUL WORDS...
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- Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (7.9%) Individuals who suffer from the tendency to be a “little OCD” are nothing compared to those individuals who are diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder.
- Narcissistic Personality Disorder (6.2%) The true narcissist is much different than the individual who just happens to have high self-esteem. Narcissists are motivated by the desire to use a heavy hand to control a person’s response to them, but having a high sense of self-esteem doesn’t typically reflect a need to control others, but rather self-satisfaction.
- Borderline Personality Disorder (5.9%) These individuals are considered “borderline” due to the lack of clear ego boundaries that they possess. They may become overly invested in a relationship and respond to any hint of trouble between themselves and a partner in a manner out of proportion to the situation.
- Paranoid Personality Disorder (4.4%) These individuals aren’t just careful about home security, they are obsessed with the suspicion that others are intentionally trying to do them harm.
- The blame game. One of the most common tactics toxic people use is blaming others for their own failures or shortcomings. It’s a classic manipulation technique designed to make you feel guilty and question your own actions or competence.
- Negative comparisons. Believe me when I say, I’ve been there. The tactic of negative comparisons is something I’ve personally experienced. It’s a strategy used by toxic people to make you feel inferior by constantly comparing you to others.
- Gaslighting. Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation where a toxic person makes you question your own reality, memory or perceptions. This term originated from a 1938 play, “Gas Light”, in which a husband manipulates his wife into believing she’s losing her sanity.
- Emotional blackmail. Emotional blackmail is another potent tool in a toxic person’s arsenal. It involves using your feelings of love, guilt, or fear to manipulate you into doing what they want.
- Overview
- What Does "Bad Person" Mean?
- Signs of a Deeper Issue
- Why You May Feel Like a Bad Person
- How to Get Help If You Feel Like a Bad Person
- Additional Steps You Can Take to Feel Better
- A Word From Verywell
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Many people experience regret, even when making everyday decisions. Making mistakes is part of life, but sometimes these regrets can leave you wondering if you are a bad person.
The good news is that examining your actions often means that you care about treating other people in positive ways. It also indicates that you have the self-reflection, insight, and awareness to make a change if you aren't satisfied with who you are or who you've been in the past.
However, for some people, wondering, "Am I a bad person?" isn't a fleeting thought or existential question—in some cases, it can be a sign of a mental health condition such as depression. This makes it important to be aware of the symptoms to watch for so you can seek help.
Here we share what you should do if you find yourself thinking, "I'm a bad person." We also provide some signs that suggest you might have a deeper issue, along with actions you can take to get over your regrets and start to feel better again.
Press Play for Advice On Dealing With Regret
There is no single, simple definition for what it means to be a "bad person." One person might define it as someone who engages in harmful or destructive behaviors. Another person might define a bad person as an individual who doesn't care about others, regardless of the type of actions they engage in.
Labeling yourself as 'bad' is often a judgment that stems from your value system. These values arise from beliefs you've formed through your upbringing and experiences but are also heavily influenced by culture. In other words, the expectations for what it means to be 'good' can vary depending on the society in which you live.
Lack of an Apology or Remorse
When we feel angry, our natural tendency is to respond aggressively. This can cause us to lash out, act thoughtlessly, or say things in the heat of the moment, leading the other person to feel hurt or experience emotional pain. How you respond afterward can say a lot about who you are as a person. If you have feelings of remorse when you hurt someone and can apologize for the pain you have caused, it indicates that you care about the feelings of the people around you. It also means that you are willing to reflect on your actions and make amends when needed. Conversely, if you are not willing to do these things or struggle to admit that you've harmed others, it may be a sign of a deeper issue.
Self-Centered Behaviors
There is nothing wrong with putting your own needs and interests first at times. Taking care of yourself is crucial as neglecting your personal needs can lead to unhappiness and poor well-being. That said, if you're always thinking about yourself and your own needs, never considering the feelings or welfare of others, it may indicate an issue that needs to be addressed. Self-centeredness can be particularly damaging if you neglect the needs of the people you are closest to, such as your partner, children, other family members, and friends. Empathy is an important ability that helps you understand others and share their pain. A lack of empathy can signify a need for change in how you treat others.
Manipulation, Exploitation, and Dishonesty
Putting other people down and engaging in gaslighting is a form of manipulation and exploitation. People who engage in exploitive or manipulative behaviors typically have no problem lying to get what they want. If you lie regularly, it may indicate that you need to evaluate your behavior and make a change. While almost everyone tells little white lies from time to time, it can signal a more serious issue when lie-telling is chronic, pervasive, and does not lead to feelings of remorse or regret.
Personality
Certain personality traits can affect how you feel about yourself. For example, neuroticism is one of the core dimensions of personality. People with high levels of this trait tend to feel negatively about themselves, others, and the world in general. Individuals with a D-factor personality also often have traits that can make them feel like a bad person. Traits that research has associated with this personality type include narcissism, spitefulness, egoism, psychopathy, and sadism. People with high levels of D-factor personality traits tend to have a disregard for the well-being of others.
Experiences
Our upbringing and life experiences also play an important role in how we perceive our own actions. Our earliest experiences in life involve watching our caregivers and other adults. Their behaviors and the value systems they raised us with serve as a model for how we feel and act today. Other experiences and influences also play a role. Peers, social pressures, culture, media influences, and our individual experiences shape how we relate to other people in our life. Adverse experiences can contribute to an overall negative outlook, ultimately impacting how we engage with others. Talking to a mental health professional can help you process your experiences, examine how they influence your behavior today, and develop new skills to engage with others in a healthier, more meaningful way. How to Know When It’s Time to See a Therapist
Mental Health Conditions
Some mental health conditions can lead to problems with empathy, relationships, behaviors, and self-perceptions. They include: Antisocial personality disorder Borderline personality disorder Narcissistic personality disorder Feeling like a bad person may also be an indicator of depression or anxiety. Symptoms of depression include feelings of guilt and lack of self-worth. In some cases, people with this condition feel fundamentally bad or that the world would be better off without them. Sometimes this feeling is accompanied by other symptoms such as low mood, decreased interest in activities, loss of pleasure, fatigue, irritability, social withdrawal, and a lack of motivation. In that case, it is crucial to seek help. If this is how you feel, talk to your healthcare provider or a mental health professional about what you are experiencing. These experts can assess your symptoms, make a diagnosis, and recommend treatments to help relieve your symptoms.
If you've been struggling with feeling like you are a bad person, there are a few steps you can take to get help and make a change in your life. Start by talking to your healthcare provider or mental health professional.
This type of professional can evaluate your symptoms and help determine if there may be an underlying problem, such as a personality disorder, which may be contributing to behaviors that make you feel bad about yourself and your interactions with others.
If feeling like you are a bad person is accompanied by other mental health symptoms related to depression or anxiety, it is vital to get help. A mental health professional can recommend treatments, such as psychotherapy and medications, that can relieve your symptoms and improve your beliefs in yourself.
As mental health professionals, our job is to look for a comprehensive diagnosis. Feeling like you are a bad person may be the symptom of some deeper underlying mental health issue. Getting to the root of that in an empathetic and nonjudgmental way can not only improve the patient's life, but help improve dynamics within their inner circles as well.
Feeling like you are a bad person can be distressing. In addition to talking to a mental health professional, there are steps that you can take to begin to feel better about who you are and how you relate to others.
•Treat others with respect: Work on showing kindness and respect to others. Being nice to people can be a great place to start. Approaching others with kindness can also lead to more positive interactions, which can be helpful for forming new social relationships.
•Find ways to help others: Research has found that helping others helps people feel better about themselves. You can start by doing good deeds in your daily life or volunteering to support an organization that you care about.
•Practice forgiveness: Being able to forgive isn't always easy, but research has found that people who can forgive experience more positive emotions, less stress, better relationships with others, and feel a greater sense of purpose in life. Don't forget to show yourself compassion by learning how to forgive yourself too. This can be a positive first step toward improving how you feel about who you are as a person.
•Think positively: Maintaining a more optimistic mindset may help you interact more positively with others and feel better about yourself. Pay attention to the types of negative thinking that contribute to feeling like you are a bad person and look for ways to replace those thought patterns with more positive ones.
It is important to know that labeling yourself and others can have negative consequences. Additionally, if you believe that these self-labeled qualities are innate and unchangeable, it can limit your ability and motivation to make positive changes in your life.
Feeling like a bad person often indicates that you are capable of empathy, self-awareness, and remorse. If you've done things that you regret or that make you feel like a bad person, there are steps that you can take to change your behaviors, make amends, and improve how you feel about yourself.
Engaging in behaviors that exploit or disregard others is harmful and needs to be addressed. If you suspect that your actions are harming your relationships, talking to a therapist is a good place to start.
But if these feelings are accompanied by other symptoms—such as changes in mood, motivation, and energy levels—it is important to talk to your healthcare provider. In such cases, it might be a sign of a mental health issue that, with treatment, can improve your outlook and well-being.
If you or a loved one are struggling with depression, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database.
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Feb 18, 2020 · They threaten to knock us down and stop us from moving forward. Times like these can blindside us, but we can emerge from them much wiser and stronger. Here are some top do's, don'ts, and things to remember when it feels like everything is going wrong.
Dec 11, 2023 · Do you feel like everything you do is wrong? Here are 10 possible reasons why you think this, plus some advice to help change your mindset.
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There are plenty of things toxic people do to manipulate people and situations to their advantage. Here are 12 of them. Knowing them will help you to avoid falling under the influence: They’ll keep you guessing about which version of them you’re getting.
