Are you struggling with communicating your needs both at work and at home? Do you hide your emotions for fear of hurting others? How often do you avoid requesting assistance because you fear to appear demanding and unreasonable? You may be facing such challenges because you lack assertiveness, which causes physical, emotional, and mental issues.
What is Assertiveness?
Assertiveness is the ability to express yourself well and stand up for your point of view while respecting the beliefs and rights of others. Assertiveness is an important communication skill because it can improve your self-esteem and earn your peer's respect. It can also help you with stress management, especially if you take on many responsibilities because you find it hard to say "no!"
Issues Resulting from Lack of Assertiveness
Lack of assertiveness can cause physical, emotional, and mental problems as explained below:
Low Self-Esteem
Lack of assertiveness threatens your Mental Health by lowering your self-esteem; the feeling of unworthiness starts slowly and grows to leave you less empowered to take care of your needs. This form of self- belittling is displayed to others who can take advantage of you because you are shy and overly easy going. You may routinely say "I will go with what the group decides" because you want to avoid conflict. However, this is dangerous as it sends feelings and thoughts that your opinions are less important than those of others and allows them to disregard your needs.
Anger and Frustration
When you remain silent in many situations, you start harboring the feelings of frustration and anger. In worse cases, the emotions build up leading to resentment, and these make assertiveness difficult. If you were unable to speak initially, you are likely to reach the boiling point, cross the line and finish by fighting or insulting others. Alternatively, instead of confronting issues, you may express your feelings and anger through your actions or harmful behavior by being sarcastic and complaining about your peers behind their backs.
Physical Aggression
You can become aggressive if you regularly hide your emotions. The desire to exact revenge can make you a bully who disregards the needs, feelings, and opinions of others. You may feel superior when humiliating others; however, this is costly because it ruins trust and mutual respect. Others might resent you and start avoiding or opposing you.
Becoming More Assertive
A few tips can help you become assertive and improve your mental health
- Practice saying no- if you have a problem in denying requests and give brief explanations where necessary.
- Keep emotions in check- remain calm, keep your voice even and firm.
- Use I statement- let people know what you want to say, be confident in expressing your opinions.
Psychiatric Assistance
If you already lack assertiveness, you need mental and behavioral therapy that will help you learn to stand up for yourself. Our team of experts at Williamsville Psychiatry will help you learn assertiveness, which will make you develop desirable life and communication skills.
Assertiveness psychiatry and training will teach you the strategies for identifying and acting on your desires, needs, and opinions while remaining respectful to others. Ultimately you will resolve conflicts peacefully and set realist goals.
Getting Started
Face your fears and contact Williamsville Psychiatry today for assertiveness psychiatry assistance because our compassionate healthcare providers offer unparalleled assertiveness psychiatry for all ages. They provide psychiatric evaluation, medication management, and psychotherapy.
Learning assertiveness takes time and practice; therefore, we offer a patient appointment within 2-3 weeks in a period that is enough for conducting assessments and scheduling training. Do not hesitate to contact us to improve your communication skills for a quality life.