Positive Thinking
From Victim to Hero
Are you stuck in the Victim Syndrome? Confronting and shaking off the mentality of a victim could be the most courageous and life-transforming act of your life.
The Victim Syndrome is a self-destructive view of yourself and the world. It leads to powerlessness, blame, low self-esteem and resentment. If the Victim Syndrome is not identified and managed it can destroy your body and your relationships. It can also become a “family tradition” — a way of seeing one’s position in society that has been passed down from generation to generation.
The checklist below can help you discover if you have been “infected” by the Victim Syndrome.
The Victim Syndrome Checklist.
To what degree do these items apply to your thinking, feeling and behaving?
1. I often feel powerless to change my life for the better.
2. I harbor a great deal of resentment toward others.
3. I often blame others (spouse, parents, economy, lack of education, etc.) for the unhappy circumstances in my life.
4. I can easily name “good” reasons for why I cannot change.
5. I have many friends and family that agree with my “good” reasons.
6. I have a hard time forgiving others.
7. I have a hard time forgiving myself.
8. I dislike or am uncomfortable with the word “responsibility.”
9. I resent and resist the idea of growing up.
10. I often fear life and its challenges.
11. When I am afraid I usually honor that fear and allow it to stop my productive action.
12. I often share my feelings of powerlessness with others.
13. I complain a lot.
14. I avoid people who encourage me to make positive changes.
15. I have not taken a significant risk in years.
16. I use my weight, gender, level of education, etc. as an excuse for my passivity.
17. I have decided that one cannot heal from past trauma.
18. I refuse to make a list of positive changes I want in my life or begin to make a plan of action.
19. I think that all these items apply to someone else.
Most of us have some of these attitudes some of the time. But if you find that more than a few of the statements below apply to you, then please find a good support group or therapist to help you escape the Victim Syndrome.
[Ed. note: Dr. Matthew Anderson is an author (The Prayer Diet), counselor (35 years) and national columnist/expert on weight loss, motivation, self-management and relationships. To find tough-minded, outside-the-box guidance for taking charge of your life and/or your weight including Eating to Kill, Wake-Up 101 and Weight Loss as a Spiritual Journey, click here.]
Rate this article by clicking on the stars below.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
Tags: motivation, self-image, self-management, victim syndrome
Leave us a comment