Gaslighting isn’t a new phenomenon.
It’s the term used to describe when someone uses persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction, and lying to make another person feel unsure of their own sanity.
It’s often seen in toxic relationships, with one person doing it to their partner.
However, a therapist on TikTok has revealed that it’s possible to gaslight yourself, too.
Dr Julie Smith, a clinical psychologist, has a TikTok account with more than three million followers.
In a recent video, she shared three major signs that you could be ‘self-gaslighting.’
Dr Julie says these include always blaming yourself, never trusting your own judgement, and invalidating your feelings.
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In her video, she says: ‘Number one, you blame yourself for everything. You make excuses for other people’s behaviour, but if you make a mistake, you believe it says something fundamental about who you are as a person.
‘Number two, you never trust in your own judgement. But you see the opinions of other people as a much more credible source.
‘You live in an almost constant state of self-doubt and you look at other people for clarity.’
Dr Julie goes on to explain that the third sign is invalidating or ignoring your own feelings.
She continues: ‘[This is] because you come to believe that you’re oversensitive or that you overreact so you don’t know which emotions to listen to anymore.’
Many followers have expressed their shock regarding these revelations – and have replied praising and thanking Dr Julie for pointing them out.
One wrote: ‘Oh dear lord, why have I never heard of this before? It makes soo much sense. Thank you.’
Another added: ‘I didn’t know that was gaslighting. I thought it was a manic anxiety/depression mix.’
If you think you’re continuing to gaslight yourself, it might be worth seeking professional help to enable you to break this cycle of thinking.
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