 Hey Psych2Goers, welcome back to a brand new venture. Before we begin, we want to make a quick shout out to Daniel Mosunda who suggested this video topic. If you have any topic requests, feel free to leave them in the comments. Let's start the video. So, what does it mean to be emotionally weak? Emotional weakness is not being able to regulate or express your emotions in a healthy, well-balanced way. It isn't anyone's fault, or is it something to be ashamed of if you feel you haven't reached a certain level of emotional strength? It's a process requiring patience to help you become more self-aware. Here are seven habits that make you emotionally weak. Number one, not believing in yourself. What's something you think you're bad at? What about genuinely trying that activity again after deciding you're no good at it? It's important to realize that an initial failure doesn't mean you aren't gifted or talented enough for something. If you only stick to first tries, you'll likely end up limiting and dragging yourself down. In psychology, this is called a self-fulfilling prophecy. Simply put, if you believe something is true, you subconsciously go out of your way to affirm it. For example, if you believe you'll fail a math test, you're much more likely to do worse since you have such low confidence. What this means is not having faith in yourself makes you both emotionally weak and it makes you perform worse, so watch out. Number two, not taking care of yourself. Do you struggle with taking breaks when needed? While it sounds counter-intuitive, in a work-oriented society, it's actually sometimes harder to rest than to keep pushing yourself to the limit. Emotional weakness tends to force people to base their self-worth on their achievements, status, or finances instead of who they are as a person. After all, regardless of how often we hear the phrase, love yourself, it's still incredibly hard to put into practice. This can lead to many problems, such as avoiding self-care, not prioritizing your physical health and burnout. You may not realize it, but there is strength in taking breaks. Your worth isn't based upon what you do. Instead, it's based on who you are. Number three, making decisions based upon emotions instead of values. Do you tend to think with your heart rather than your head? Have you ever regretted letting your initial reaction to something get out of control? If so, you know all too well about letting your emotions get the best of you. Not being able to balance your emotions with your morals and logic is a tell-tale sign of emotional weakness. How you feel should be a factor in your decisions, but when it becomes the driving force, you end up making impulsive, uninformed, or dramatic choices. So, when faced with a difficult decision, trying to identify the emotion you're feeling and seeing whether it's outweighing your values and reasons stops you from making irrational decisions. Number four, judging yourself for how you feel. This isn't a normal feeling, or I shouldn't feel like this since no one else does. Do you ever think to yourself of phrases like these? It may be easy to judge yourself for how you feel, but doing so can have many unintended consequences. These pave the road for emotional weakness. Why so? Because these questions cause you to suppress, deny, or deflect your emotions. In reality, your emotions are one of the biggest indicators as to what you should and shouldn't do, your boundaries, and what you enjoy. They serve as a guide to you, so it's important to remember that all feelings are valid, and so deserve to be expressed. Number five, needing to find a reason behind everything. Do you believe in the phrase, everything happens for a reason? It isn't prudent to hold it accountable for everything that occurs. Trying to find reason in everything may end up making you emotionally weaker. This is because you end up spending more time overthinking and analyzing whenever something that you can't explain or rationalize happens. It takes the focus away from taking action and looking for ways to cope. A huge sign of emotional strength is being able to recognize and accept situations as they occur and making the best of them. Number six, trying to control and plan everything. Do you have your whole life mapped out? Have you planned exactly what career you want if you'll get married if you want kids and more? While making a timeline is a great way to get a general idea of what you want in life, almost nothing goes according to plan. If you become too set on one path, you could become close-minded and miss many opportunities simply because you weren't looking. You may also end up becoming less emotionally flexible, meaning if anything goes wrong, you're more likely to fall apart than adapt. Finally, similar to needing to find a reason behind everything, you could spend more time preparing than actually doing. The bottom line is, a key part of emotional strength is accepting you can't foresee everything, no matter how scary that sounds. And number seven, letting others control you. Have you ever purchased something just because it was popular? Being able to stand out from the crowd and be yourself is a huge sign of emotional strength. On the other hand, when you let others influence you, you might prioritize their needs over your own and end up making choices that don't actually benefit you. Others could recognize this emotional weakness and try to take advantage of you. So, while it might be hard, it's important to remember that your wants and needs are ultimately the most important factor in your life. Emotional weakness isn't something to be ashamed of. It takes time, energy, and experience to become emotionally stronger, so don't be too hard on yourself if you're not there yet. The most important thing is to remember to be patient and kind to yourself as you continue to emotionally grow and mature. Were you aware of these habits? If so, do you think this can help you recognize and cope with them? Feel free to leave a comment down below with your thoughts, experiences, or suggestions. If you found this video helpful, be sure to hit the like button and share it with those out there unknowingly practicing these phrases. Don't forget to subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell icon for more new videos. Thanks for watching and we'll see you soon.