Assertiveness

What is being assertive?

What does it mean assertiveness ?. It is to be able to respond to other people, maintaining one’s rights while respecting other people’s rights. It is to keep your self-esteem without damaging them. Ask the following questions:

Can you stand up for yourself?.
Are you too submissive that you won’t even ask for your needs?.

Do you often feel guilt, resentment, or upset and constantly think they are taking advantage of you?

When you respectfully express your thoughts and feelings, you are assertive. Your behavior is the result of healthy self-esteem and confidence.

What is the difference between being assertive and being aggressive?

Many years ago I used to have a passive behavior because I was afraid to be rejected. Later I found myself victimized and I started to respond with aggression. Why?. Because I wasn’t aware that I could be assertive. It took me many years to understand that there was a better way of expressing myself by being assertive.

Responding with aggression, you demand a threat. You become sarcastic and sometimes engage in physical violence. With aggression, you stand up for yourself violating other’s rights. When you are assertive, you can stand up for yourself respecting other’s rights.

Being assertive is having confidence enough in oneself to be able to express your feelings without damaging your self-esteem. By being assertive, you will start building confidence and self-respect and healthily resolve conflicts. Assertiveness allows you to express anger constructively and overcome shyness more easily.

If you can’t be assertive some of the consequences are:

Resentment. You are manipulated and used.

Frustration.You are victimized and dwell on self-pity.
Violence inside of you. If you can’t express your anger appropriately, you’ll keep it.
Avoidance. Because you are uncomfortable, you will have a tendency to avoid social situations.

Poor relationships. Conflicts in relationships, doubts, fears, resentment and so on.

Learning Assertiveness

To be assertive, you have to know your boundaries and limitations. Apply the following tips for being assertive:

Make eye contact. This way you acknowledge the person you are talking to.

Relax and adopt an open posture.
Get to the point and avoid hurting with your words.
Always say I. Don’t refer to it as You make me feel.., instead say I feel ……

The last tip is to remain calm. If you are angry stop, let go of the anger and then approach the issue. And always make the difference between interpretation and evaluation. Interpretation involves feelings. For example He is saying that I am wrong, he wants to hurt me. Evaluation is neutral: He is saying that I am wrong.

Most of us are not used to expressing our feelings. We expect them to read our minds. If you expect them to read your mind, you will live under other’s assumptions.

You will notice changes in your relationships while you use assertiveness. You’ll notice different reactions. When I started to be assertive, I felt uncomfortable with myself and many family members thought that I was acting strangely. Is a matter of persistence, we tend to reject change, is uncomfortable. If you practice assertiveness, everybody respects you. Your confidence and self-respect improve.

To Improve your assertiveness, try to Be more assertive.

You can also use assertiveness quotes and become more confident, enhance esteem and overcome victimization.