When we ‘play the victim’, we are portraying ourselves as helpless or powerless in a situation. This often leads to blaming somebody else for the issue, argument or problem.
Playing the victim can be a trauma response if you have experienced past traumatic events that have made you feel helpless or powerless. It could also be your way of coping with the experience. Though, playing the victim can also lead us to gaining sympathy, avoiding responsibility or seeking attention in unhealthy ways. Which let’s be honest, can feel like the easier option in a lot of conflicts.
The issue with playing the victim is that it usually involves a lot of negative self-talk, allows us to self-sabotage, strains our relationships and can end up creating a never-ending cycle of powerlessness.
If you’ve ever played the victim before, try not to blame or feel guilty. It’s part of life and everybody does it at one stage or another (including myself), but it’s important that we all start taking responsibility for our actions and working through the issues, arguments and problems in a healthy way.
If you can let go of that victim mentality, you will find that you will be able to have better control of your life, healthier relationships and improve your overall wellbeing. Win, win, win!
With love & support,
Shorina | Mindful Soul Collective
Counsellor & Wellbeing Coach
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