The Top Seven Self-Defeating Behaviors

Some habits and patterns can prevent us from achieving our goals and happiness. Here are the top seven self-defeating behaviors and how to overcome them.

1.  Procrastination: Putting off important tasks until the last minute or avoiding them. Solution: Break down the task into smaller steps, set realistic deadlines, and reward yourself for each step.
2. Perfectionism: Setting unrealistically ambitious standards for yourself and others and being overly critical. Solution: Recognize that perfection is impossible and unnecessary and that mistakes are part of learning. Focus on your strengths and achievements and appreciate the effort and progress of yourself and others.
3.  Negative self-talk: Talking to yourself in a harsh, pessimistic, or self-defeating way. Solution: Become aware of your thoughts and challenge them with more positive and realistic ones. Practice gratitude, affirmations, and self-compassion, and surround yourself with supportive and encouraging people.
4. Comparison: Measuring your own worth and success by comparing yourself to others. Solution: Realize that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses, goals, and challenges, and that you are not in competition with anyone but yourself. Celebrate your own uniqueness and achievements and appreciate the diversity and value of others.
5. 
   Fear of failure: Fearing not meeting your own or others' expectations or facing negative consequences or judgments. Solution: Redefine failure as an opportunity to learn and grow, rather than a sign of weakness or incompetence. Embrace uncertainty and change as inevitable parts of life, and view challenges as chances to test your abilities and expand your horizons.
6. Fear of success: Fearing achieving your goals, reaching your potential, or facing the increased responsibility or scrutiny that may come with it. Solution: Acknowledge your own worthiness and capability and believe that you deserve happiness and fulfillment. Prepare yourself for the possible changes and challenges that may accompany your success and seek support from others who can help you cope with them.
7. Lack of assertiveness: Not expressing your own needs, opinions, or feelings in an honest, respectful, and confident way. Solution: Recognize your own rights and responsibilities as an equal person in any relationship or situation and communicate them clearly and calmly. Listen actively and empathetically to others, and respect their rights and responsibilities as well.

Social Anxiety Disorder

 

Drug Overdose Statistics

 More than 932,000 people have died since 1999 from a drug overdose.1 In 2020, 91,799 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States. The age-adjusted rate of overdose deaths increased by 31% from 2019 (21.6 per 100,000) to 2020 (28.3 per 100,000).

Opioids—mainly synthetic opioids (other than methadone)—are currently the main driver of drug overdose deaths. 82.3% of opioid-involved overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids.

•  Opioids were involved in 68,630 overdose deaths in 2020 (74.8% of all drug overdose deaths).
• Drug overdose deaths involving psychostimulants such as methamphetamine are increasing with and without synthetic opioid involvement

References

CDC. (2021, June 23). Drug overdose deaths. Www.cdc.gov; CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/deaths/index.html

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FACTS ABOUT FENTANYL

 Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine 

• There are two types of fentanyl:  
• pharmaceutical fentanyl 
• Illegally made fentanyl 

Illegally made fentanyl (IMF) is available on the drug market in different forms, including liquid and powder. 

In its liquid form, IMF can be found in nasal sprays, eye drops, and dropped onto paper or small candies. 

STREET NAMES FOR IMF INCLUDE: 

• Apache 
• Dance Fever 
• Friend 
• Goodfellas 
• Jackpot 
• Murder 8 
• Tango & Cash  

Fentanyl and Overdose 

• fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths.
• Even in small doses, it can be deadly.  

Over 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl 

• Drugs may contain deadly levels of fentanyl, and you wouldn’t be able to see it, taste it, or smell it. 
•  It is nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been laced with fentanyl unless you test your drugs with fentanyl test strips. 
• Test strips are inexpensive and typically give results within 5 minutes, which can be the difference between life or death.  
• Even if the test is negative, take caution as test strips might not detect more potent fentanyl-like drugs, like carfentanil 

References 

Fentanyl Facts. (2021, November 10). Www.cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/fentanyl/ 

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DSM-5 Criteria for Borderline Personality

 Borderline Personality Disorder

A pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and affects, and marked impulsivity, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five or more of the following:

1. Frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. (Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5)
2. A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.
3. Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self.
4. Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging(eg. spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating). (Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5.)
5. Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures,
   
   threats, or self-mutilating behavior.
6. Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (eg. intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days.)
7. Chronic feelings of emptiness.
8. Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g. frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights).
9. Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms.

Gender Expression

 Cognitive, affective, and behavioral intentions are three components of attitudes (Learning Objectives | Online Resources, n.d.). The cognitive part is our beliefs about something. The affective part is our emotions about that something, and the behavioral part is the course of action we are going to take about something. Our attitudes about things stem from what society and family have taught us about social norms and social roles. Our attitudes impact our view of gender because they represent what society has taught us about gender and how each gender should express themselves. We are taught at an early age the way society categorizes the gender role of men and women and this lays the baseline for attitudes which are our learned beliefs. Many times, these learned beliefs are very rigid and do not allow for any variance. With this in mind, we are conditioned to feel and behave a certain way anytime we encounter someone who expresses their gender role outside of these learned norms. Our personal beliefs are founded on what we have learned which affects our views of normal and abnormal. 

Different cultures have different social norms and roles, and therefore members of different cultures will have different attitudes toward how someone chooses to express their gender. For instance, Wienclaw (2021) writes that in the Tchambuli culture of New Guinea women control economic life, do the fishing, and initiate sexual relations. The men wear flowers and jewelry and are dependent. Now as an example, John is a male who expresses his gender with more effeminate characteristics, and John is in two different situations. In one situation John is walking down a street in New Guinea, and in the other situation, John is walking down a street somewhere in Saudi Arabia. The attitudes, personal beliefs, and people’s views of the way that John chooses to express his gender will differ with diverse cultures. 

Fear is a reason some might feel uncomfortable validating someone’s gender expression. Someone may worry about repercussions from validating the gender expression of someone who expresses it differently from their own personal beliefs and cultural social norms and social roles. Another reason may be fear of saying the wrong thing or using the wrong pronoun, and they may not want to embarrass themselves by saying the wrong thing. And this is where everyone can benefit from increasing their emotional intelligence on this topic. Increasing emotional intelligence on this topic will ensure that all people, no matter how they choose to express their gender, will receive social justice. 

Amber Hagar (2014) wrote Gender What? Which gives four steps to take to validate someone’s gender expression. The first step is to do your research and see gender as a personal expression of their location on the gender spectrum (Hagar, 2014). Hagar posts the following five websites for additional resources: 

• https://www.genderspectrum.org/ 

• http://www.transstudent.org/gender 

• https://transequality.org/ 

• https://transgenderlawcenter.org/about 

• https://www.transgenderpulse.com/ 

The second step is to be respectful of someone's gender identity, name, and pronouns. The third step is to be an ally, advocate, speak up and support that person. In the fourth step Hagar (2014) posts the following four links for counseling and to answer questions such as religious matters: 

• https://myusf.usfca.edu/caps 

• https://myusf.usfca.edu/cultural-centers/gender-sexuality-center 

• https://myusf.usfca.edu/student-life/intercultural-center/about-us 

• https://www.usfca.edu/university-ministry 

 

 

 

 

References 

Hager, A. (2014). Supporting Gender Identity: A Beginner’s Guide for Friends, Family, and University Staff | myUSF. Myusf.usfca.edu. https://myusf.usfca.edu/caps/supporting-gender-identity 

Learning Objectives / Online Resources. (n.d.). Edge.sagepub.com. https://edge.sagepub.com/node/23655/student-resources/chapter-4/learning-objectives 

‌Wienclaw, R. A. (2021). Gender Roles. Research Starters: Sociology. 

Anxiety, Fear, and Stress

 The autonomic nervous system is a part of the peripheral nervous system that controls physiological processes such as pulse, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal. Sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous systems are all part of the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system “controls ‘fight-or-fight' responses” (McCorry, 2007). "The parasympathetic system regulates rest and digest functions” (McCorry, 2007). A balance between these two systems is essential for our mental and physical health. Since the parasympathetic system slows down and relaxes everything and the sympathetic system speeds everything up, when one is active, the other is less engaged. An example of these systems being out of balance would be if the sympathetic system were constantly active at an excessive level. There would be a constant feeling of the fight or flight response even though there is no immediate danger. One way a therapist might help a patient activate the parasympathetic nervous system is by having the patient rub their fingers over their lips. “Parasympathetic fibers are spread throughout your lips so touching them stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system” (Bernhard, 2011). Toni Bernhard J.D. of Psychology Today states that is Toni’s go-to practice calming the mind and body and that it immediately calms someone down. Since both systems are correlated with someone's level of fear, when there is no balance, someone can develop an anxiety disorder. 

“In recent years many prominent researchers have proposed a fundamental distinction between the fear and anxiety response pattern” (Hooley et al., 2019). Fear involves the fight or flight response originating from the sympathetic nervous system and it is an instant reaction to threat. For instance, someone taking a shower and suddenly they see a stranger in a mask standing by the shower holding a knife. The person in the shower will suddenly experience a fight or flight response thanks to the sympathetic nervous system. This is a normal fearful reaction to what is happening, and one that may help the person in the shower survive. Now if the showering person survives this incident, then they will have anxiety about taking another shower. The cognitive, which is subjective, the physiological, and the behavioral components of anxiety and fear are different. The person in the shower is thinking I am in immediate danger, and they are experiencing physical symptoms such as tachypnea, tachycardia, and diaphoresis. Their behavior will indicate a desire to run or escape.  Now the subjective, physical, and behavioral symptoms of anxiety would be chronic worrying about what might happen, chronic muscle tension and wanting to avoid the situation or stressor, respectively. The DSM-5 recognizes anxiety as a disorder. 

“Anxiety disorders are characterized by unrealistic or irrational fears or anxiety that cause significant distress and impairments in functioning” (Hooley et al., 2019). Generalized anxiety disorder and specific phobia anxiety disorder are two anxiety disorders mentioned in the DSM-5. With generalized anxiety disorder, the patient suffers from chronic worry about things that can go wrong with anything. These patients have some panic attacks, but they are not the focus of their anxiety. With a specific phobia, the patient experiences a major fight or flight response when introduced to the feared object or situation. Even the possibility of encountering the feared object or situation causes anxiety for these patients. Anxiety affects society. “During 2019, about one in six (15.6%) adults aged 18 and over experienced symptoms of anxiety in the past 2 weeks that were either mild (9.5%), moderate (3.4%), or severe (2.7%)” (Terlizzi & Villarroel, 2020). With these statistics in mind, anxiety has a close relationship with programmatic themes. 

     Emotional intelligence and self-care are essential when dealing with anxiety disorders. Emotional intelligence increases with the knowledge of the relationship between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and how they affect anxiety. Increased emotional intelligence allows people to approach anxiety disorders scientifically. Increases in emotional intelligence also contribute to everyone's awareness of self-care. Self-care is also essential in maintaining physical and mental health. 

 

References 

‌ Bernhard, T. (2011, September 13). 4 Tips for Slowing Down to Reduce Stress. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/turning-straw-gold/201109/4-tips-slowing-down-reduce-stress 

Hooley, J. M., Nock, M. K., & Butcher, J. N. (2019). Abnormal Psychology (18th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9780135191033 

McCorry, L. K. (2007). Physiology of the Autonomic Nervous System. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 71(4). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1959222/#:~:text=The%20sympathetic%20system%20controls%20%E2%80%9Cfight 

Terlizzi, E., & Villarroel, M. (2020, September 21). Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Among Adults: United States, 2019. Www.cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db378.htm