The ego traps that veto our freedom and personal growth

The traps of the ego veto our happiness. Because this essence of our being is never satisfied, it anesthetizes us with its demands, its fears and its tricks, it leads us to an unhealthy attachment until we find ourselves in an eternal comfort zone where nothing happens. We must be able to sanitize the ego to make it that extraordinary psychic tendon that favors our freedom.

When we talk about this psychological dimension, we often get lost in its definitions. Sigmund Freud defined the ego as that entity that is forced to negotiate almost daily with social impulses and standards. It was also that structure that can be rationalized and balanced through personal work. Now, if we now go to oriental approaches or those defined by spirituality, such as the one enunciated by Eckhart Tolle, things change slightly.

On this last case, The ego is a type of unhealthy self-consciousness magnetized by selfishness. It is that inner force that you have to know how to control, educate and redirect.

Thus, be that as it may, both in the Freudian approach and that nuanced by Eastern philosophies, there is a common axis on which we can base ourselves. It is the one that tells us about the need to educate him, to modify his drives and remove that unhealthy crust to make it something more luminous, useful and in tune with our personal growth.

Knowing the traps of the ego is undoubtedly that threshold from which to start to become aware of many of its dynamics. Let’s see them below.

The traps of the ego

The key to well-being, that which promotes self-fulfillment and an authentic sense of happiness, is in balance. For this reason, there are those who venture to say that to achieve this there is nothing better than putting the ego on a “diet”.

We should do with it the same as we do with our diet. Often, we ourselves fall into unhealthy diets where saturated fats end up making us inflamed and bloated. Thus, far from being satiated, we experience more craving and hunger.

The same thing happens with the ego. The desire for praise, recognition, approval or power increases a false self-esteem that is always hungry. The one that, at the slightest, ends up deflating. We have to build muscle, we have to exercise our psychological strengths through humility, determination and psychological flexibility. Hence, it is essential to identify those ego traps that are so recurrent in many of us.

1. I want to always be right

There are people like that. Of which it does not matter that the evidence is as resounding and solid as a ten-story building. There are those who, in any circumstance, moment or condition, always want to have the truth in their favor.. Thus, and to always put the balance on his side, he does not hesitate to deploy the most varied (and harmful) tricks.

The ego in these circumstances weighs too much and does not help anyone. It is a bear trap that must be recognized and delimited.

2. Why don’t others act as I wish and expect?

In a way, all of us have experienced this same feeling. That of despairing when we see that people we appreciate do not do or behave as we expect. This fact, that of Wanting those who make up our closest circles to always act as we wish is not just one more of the ego’s traps.. It is also a source of suffering.

The ideal in these cases is not to condition ourselves, to limit ourselves to being and letting be.. Because respecting and even valuing that others act according to their principles and desires is an act of respect and also personal growth.

3. The constant sense of lack

If I had a bigger house I would be happy. If I could save a little more I could buy the mobile phone that that particular brand has just launched on the market. If I had a loving partner who would take me on a platter, life would be perfect…

If we look closely, The sense of lack is imprinted on much of our society. We never feel complete or satisfied. We are always missing something, we always long for that detail that if we were able to possess it would offer us immeasurable happiness. However, when we manage to achieve that goal, satisfaction soon expires and we put our hopes in something else, another dimension, in 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 acceptance between us. Now, as we pointed out at the beginning, the key is balance. Feeling accepted is good, obsessing about always having the approval of others is not healthyand already places chains on our freedom and personal fulfillment.

Sometimes the ego and its need for recognition must go on a diet, it must lose enough weight to be able to make decisions without having anyone’s permission.

5. I feel inferior (or superior) to others

Ego traps are not designed solely through abuse. Through that egomania of those who want more, who believe they are more than anyone else or who need more than anyone else. These obstacles to our personal growth are also shaped by feelings of lack.

Feeling less than others, perceiving that all effort is in vain when the rest surpass us in almost everything, also leads us to suffering. Because Anorexic egos also make the mind sick, limit us and turn us into blurred shadows.

Thus, it never hurts to remember that personal integrity also requires that ego capable of protecting itself but without falling into excesses. A focused, strong self-esteem that knows how to validate oneself and, in turn, exercise the respect of others.

In conclusion, Ego traps are those traps in which we often leave large pieces of dignity and self-esteem. It is that little man who lives inside us and who likes to poison us with false needs, with the constant rumor I want that, I lack that, I can’t stand what, I hate what…

Let us therefore learn to silence that annoying voice. Day by day, let us be able to identify their tricks a little better so that we can readjust their dynamics and put them in our favor. The ego should never be an obstacle, it should be that humble, wise and focused ally that helps us grow a little more every day.

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