In this article , my goal is to help you identify , reframe , and deprogram these ego defence mechanisms . Doing so will allow you to experience more inner peace , self-love , grounded-ness , trust , and spiritual connection with life . What Are Ego Defence Mechanisms ? Ego defence mechanisms ( or mental traps ) are psychological strategies that help us deal with the uncertainty and ambiguity of existence . When a painful truth or reality is too much for us to bear , you can be sure that an ego defence mechanism will jump in to save you . Think of it like a knight in shining armour that protects your sanity . The only difficulty is that , often , this inner knight is unwilling to let go of its desire to protect us due to fear and trauma . When this happens , we are left with old , outdated , and dysfunctional inner programming that runs on repeat , wreaking havoc in our lives .
17 Signs Your Ego Defences Are Harming You
Pay attention to the following signs :
• You suffer from low self-esteem and self-worth
• You constantly get into fights with people
• You feel on-edge around others for no apparent reason
• You often feel like an innocent victim
• You feel like the world is against you
• You see the world in black and white (“ good or bad ,” “ right or wrong ,” “ friend or enemy ,” “ us or them ,” etc .)
• You tend to jump to extremes in relationships , i . e ., one day you love your partner , the next you hate them
• You tend to be critical and sarcastic
• You rarely accept blame ( because you “ haven ’ t done anything wrong ”)
• You are a cynic but at the same time an idealist
• You have high expectations for yourself and others
• You feel dissatisfied with yourself / life a lot of the time
• You have an addictive personality
• You tend to be obsessive
• You overthink everything
• You often feel like a phony / fake
• You feel disconnected from your true self and life
How many signs can you relate to ?