The Traps Of The Ego Block Our Freedom And Personal Growth

The traps of the ego block our happiness. Because this essence of our being is never satisfied, it paralyzes us with its demands, fears and tricks. It leads us to an insane attachment to it, placing us in an eternal comfort zone where nothing happens. We must be able to purify our ego to make it the extraordinary psychic tendon that favors our freedom.

When we talk about this psychological dimension, we often go into its definitions. Sigmund Freud defined the ego as the entity that is forced to negotiate almost daily with our impulses and social standards. It also used to be the structure that we could rationalize and balance through personal work. But if we look at Eastern or spiritual approaches, like Eckhart Tolle, it is a small change.

In the latter case , ego is a type of unhealthy self-awareness that is magnetized by egoism. It is the inner strength that you need to know how to control, train and redirect.

Regardless, both in the Freudian approach and the Oriental philosophies, there is a common axis on which we can rely. We need to train our ego, modify impulses and remove the unhealthy crust to make it something more glowing, useful and in line with our personal growth.

Knowing the traps of the ego is undoubtedly the best thing we can do to become aware of many of its dynamics. Let’s look at them below.

The ego falls

The key to well-being, which promotes realization and an authentic sense of happiness, is balance. Therefore, there are those who dare to say that to achieve it, there is nothing better than putting your ego on a “diet”.

We should do the same thing we do with our diet. We often fall into the unhealthy eating habits where saturated fat ends up making us inflamed and bloated. Thus, we are far from full, and experience more urge to eat and hunger.

The same thing happens with our ego. The desire for praise, recognition, approval or power inflates a false self-esteem that is always hungry. You need to build muscle and train your psychological values ​​through humility, determination and psychological flexibility. Therefore, it is important to identify the recurring ego traps in many of us.

1. I will always be right

There are people who are like that. For them, it is not important that the evidence against them is as strong and solid as a ten-story building. They are the ones who, in all circumstances, moments or conditions, will always be right. They do not hesitate to use the most varied (and harmful) tricks, so that the scales always lean to their side.

Their ego does not help anyone in these circumstances. It is a bear trap that we need to know how to recognize and limit.

2. Why do people not behave as I want them to do?

In a way, we have all experienced this same feeling. We feel despair when people we appreciate do not act or behave as we expect them to. Wishing that those who make up our closest circles should always act as we wish, is not just one of the ego’s traps. It is also a source of suffering.

Ideally, in such cases, we should not condition ourselves. We should limit ourselves to being and letting others be. Because respecting and even appreciating that others act according to their principles and desires is an act of personal growth.

3. To always feel as if something is missing

I would be happier if I had a bigger house. If I could save a little more, I could buy the cell phone that this brand just launched. If I had a loving partner who treated me like a queen, my life would be perfect…

When we look closely, we can see that the feeling that something is missing is ingrained in large parts of our society. We never feel whole or happy. We are always missing something. We always want the thing that, if we were able to own it, would offer irresistible happiness. But when we achieve that goal, satisfaction soon passes, and we set our expectations for another thing, another dimension, or another person.

4. The need for approval

We all need to feel accepted. After all, we move in social settings where coexistence is always more fluid and meaningful if there is an acceptance among us. Now, as we indicated at the beginning, balance is the key. Feeling accepted is good. But being obsessed with having the approval of others is not healthy, and it puts limits on our freedom and personal fulfillment.

Sometimes we have to put the ego and the need for recognition on a diet. It should lose enough weight so that we can make decisions without the permission of other people.

5. I feel inferior (or superior) to others

The traps of the ego are not created solely through abuse or through the egomania of the person who wants more, who feels that they are above everyone else, or that they need more than anyone else. The pitfall of our personal growth can also be satisfied by the feeling of lack.

Feeling worse than other people, feeling that all our efforts are useless when the rest of the world surpasses us in almost everything, also makes us suffer. Because anorexic egos also make our minds sick, limit us and turn us into blurry shadows.

Therefore, it never hurts to remember that personal integrity also requires an ego that is able to protect itself without ending up in exaggerations. We also need a centered, strong self-esteem that knows how to validate itself and at the same time respect others.

To conclude, the traps of the ego take away our dignity and self-esteem. They are the little man who lives in us, and who likes to poison us with false needs, with a constant I want it, I miss it, I can not stand it, I hate it…

Therefore, let’s learn to mute the annoying voice. Let’s be able to identify its tricks a little better and be able to adjust its dynamics so that they are to our advantage. Your ego should never be an obstacle. It should be the humble, wise and centered ally who helps you grow a little more every day.