Standing up For Yourself

Written By Colēgia

Handling disagreements and being able to express yourself during these moments is crucial. It can help you more accurately say what you mean while also still being confident in the process. As a core communication skill, we want to dive into why it's so important to do this along with some ways that may help.

It Builds Confidence

Confidence is the cornerstone of successful communication and we can best see this when we stand up for ourselves. One common thing we may encounter is a disagreement. These don't have to be something heated but depending on how the flow of conversation goes, it can become that way. Rather than always backing down, sometimes we need to say something in a situation. Learning how to push past the discomfort of this can take time but it can train us to stay calm in these kinds of moments. If we feel that someone is overstepping boundaries we can calmly express that we don't think this is fair. It's important to not use “you” language in these cases since it helps us shift away the blame from the person and direct it more at the behavior. Being aware of who we're talking to can help us with this since being able to effectively stand up for ourselves is easier when we're familiar with who we're talking to.

“Confidence is the cornerstone of successful communication and we can best see this when we stand up for ourselves.”

It Leads to Positive Action

Respect is an important facet of communication and it's something that needs to be mutual. When we stand up for ourselves we're telling people that we value our self-worth and we respect who we are as an individual. We can also use this as a means to help others see the same within themselves. For example, if we feel that someone often doesn't defend themselves in a conversation when they're picked on, we can use this as a means of saying something to them to help break the ice. Small things like this show that we're comfortable enough with moving out of our comfort space to help someone else, which can in turn improve their lives.

“Respect is an important facet of communication and it's something that needs to be mutual.”

It Promotes Happiness

One of the most frustrating feelings is being in a position where you regret not having said something. While in some cases silence is an extremely helpful option, other instances require us to speak up to have the best possible outcome. One reason behind this is because when we're standing up for ourselves we're being honest with our needs. This is important because it promotes authenticity which also fuels our happiness. There's also a sense of satisfaction when we're able to say we stood up for ourselves as well. With that in mind, there's a difference between standing up for your needs and being defensive. The latter is when we close ourselves off to things while the former is more mindful of our beliefs and where we stand as an individual. Being aware of how we handle ourselves when we do speak up is crucial since we want to be mindful of how our message will be received.

Colēgia

Colēgia

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