How often do you feel like your needs are met? People who are unable to stand up for themselves often find that they feel unfulfilled, frustrated, and even victimized. When you develop a pattern of letting other people take advantage of you, it can impact your mental and physical health.
Conversely, those that are always insisting that their demands be met and bully others until they are, are also just as unhappy. They alienate those around them. They’re too aggressive. Somewhere between aggressive and passive is a happy medium that most people refer to as assertive. To assert yourself is to stand up for your own wants and needs. However, you do so with the consideration of others.
Standing Up For Yourself Is Good for You
Being assertive and standing up for yourself helps you feel more empowered and less stressed out. Instead of constantly tending to other people’s needs, you’re taking care of your own. Then, and only then, are you in a position to help others. Standing up for yourself improves you and your life in many different ways.
1. You Become a Better Communicator
When you stand up for yourself it’s not a, “Hey, give me that.” It’s more like, “Hey, I see you have that and I would like some too. Do you mind sharing?” See the difference? You ask for what you want in a pleasant and collaborative way. And when someone asks you to do something for them (something that you don’t really want to do), instead of saying “sure” and not really meaning it, you can simply say, “I don’t have time.” Communication becomes much easier when you are assertive.
2. People Respect You
How much do you respect someone who is constantly agreeing to do things that they don’t want to do or someone who lets others take credit for work that they did? Or someone who says, “I don’t know. What do you want to do?” all the time. It happens. Passive people live in this world. It’s difficult to respect them. If you are passive then you may feel like others in your life don’t have respect for you. Start being more assertive and standing up for yourself and watch that change.
3. Stay True to Yourself
You have opinions, thoughts, goals and needs. When you don’t stand up for yourself, those get pushed aside and other people become the priority at your expense. Standing up for yourself means that you make yourself a priority and that you acknowledge that your wants and needs are important. Your opinion is valid and you deserve to follow your own path.
Standing up for yourself isn’t always easy. Start small and gradually increase your confidence. Learn to say no to things you don’t want to do and yes to yourself.