Why I get anxiety attacks when I praise my achievements

Clive Ngwenya Avatar
Verified by Emotional Intelligence Developer Community-written · Human experiences · Lived insight

Anxiety has a lot of triggers where some good events can bring it on.

We’re not alike. It sounds odd to some people when I say I have anxiety attacks when I try and praise my achievements. Why am I triggered by this? Because mentally, I’m afraid to jinx it. I was amazed when Snoop Dogg was honored with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame in November 2018. His speech echoed around the world, and I believe it’s because of what he said, which is unusual. Snoop Dogg praised himself openly for everyone to hear.

Here’s what Snoop Dogg said in his speech. “I want to thank me for believing in me, I want to thank me for doing all this hard work. I wanna thank me for having no days off. I wanna thank me for never quitting. I wanna thank me for always being a giver and trying to give more than I receive.”

Why is Snoop Dogg’s speech unusual? Society tells us that self praise is wrong. One Bible verse says, “Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth.” Proverbs 27 verse 2. When you have anxiety, and the world throws into the pot, its societal norms, my attacks often happen chronologically. My anxiety attacks were bad growing up because I didn’t know what emotional intelligence does to boost a person’s well-being.

  • Why I get anxiety attacks and how to control them

Why did the fear of praising myself trigger anxiety attacks?

I was gullible growing up, I’d move with the tide, and a word to the wise… those with young kids, that’s why peer pressure is easily accepted by children. Your mental development is key to fending off bad things. Praising your achievements is not wrong, but some people go beyond humility and highlight why some parts of the Bible say it’s bad.

When you can not control your emotions, anxiety overwhelms you. I’m the same person I was many years ago, but because my thinking has changed, I don’t get anxiety attacks. The world is still the same. You can debate that its societal norms are worse than before, but because my thinking has changed, I don’t get anxiety attacks. For me, I was gullible, which allowed me to accept anxiety as part of my existence.

  • Why I get anxiety attacks and how to control them
Why I get anxiety attacks and how to control them, a picture of a boat on the water

I’d hear something and absorb it word for word. If that caused blisters on other people, I’d manifest invisible blisters on my body, and anxiety attacks would follow. The Loch Ness Monster was so real to me that my anxiety attacks were chronological. I don’t know what triggers you, but anxiety lives inside the mind. This post is a mental comforter telling you that I, too, used to live inside my mind. It was overwhelming.

Something as simple as praising yourself caused anxiety because I’d think of all the bad things about it, what people would say, and how society judges self praise, I didn’t want to be the bad batch in life. I did not express my happiness, which caused a lot of misery in my life.

Why it’s good to praise yourself?

Snoop Dogg did it because he understood what it took to succeed. If you’ve overcome bad things in your life, share it. Don’t be shy because a lot of people need to hear it; we help each other grow. Emotional intelligence is an active well-being practice people learn by seeing it in action. We’re all teachers because society has for many years molded the working person in order to control how society must run. Forgetting the disadvantages it has when it comes to emotional development.

It’s only now that people accept mental well-being as part of a person’s development. Saying out loud that I have a problem is now acceptable. My anxiety limited me, and I know that it limits you. Do something about it because you can overcome it. A gullible mind easily accepts anything that is wrong. If someone has blisters, it doesn’t mean I’ll get them, and if I do, that’s fine. I’ll raise my hand for help and move on with my life. The Loch Ness Monster is not coming to get me… so that’s that.

Conclusion

Your mental health is key when dealing with your anxiety. Emancipate your mind, and you’ll sleep peacefully knowing that what you accomplish in life is something to feel good about. In closing, I’d like to thank me for overcoming mental anxiety because it could’ve lived with me forever. XOXO

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Author

  • Clive Ngwenya

    Clive Ngwenya is a visionary advocate for holistic well-being, dedicated to empowering individuals to enhance their physical, mental, and emotional health. As the founder of this transformative website, Clive’s mission is to provide accessible resources and support for people on their journey towards improved well-being.

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Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise, understand, and manage emotions in yourself and others. It helps people communicate better, make thoughtful decisions, and build healthier relationships.

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2 comments on Why I get anxiety attacks when I praise my achievements
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2 responses to “Why I get anxiety attacks when I praise my achievements”

  1. Janice Reid Avatar

    Self-praise can be hard for some people, I’m one.

    1. Clive Avatar

      It is… But we have to do it in order to develop ourselves.

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