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Am I weak, if I choose not to stand up for myself and just walk away?

46 Answers
Last Updated: 07/27/2020 at 4:30am
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Lisa Groesz, PhD

Psychologist

With evidenced based therapies, we find the root of the problem together to implement solutions. We all face crises, transitions, or disorders at some time.

Top Rated Answers
Br33zyS3tz
August 17th, 2015 1:34am
Walking away is not a sign of sure weakness; this is a sign of character, of control; dont be shamed in walking away from conflict or confrontation; sometimes its best to let certain things dissipate on their own; sometimes FOCUSING on yourself is more important than PROVING yourself to those that do NOT trust in, or believe in you. Of course its hard to walk away from intense situations especially when you have strong opinions to share, but during such times, if the other party is not hearing you, not listening, not accepting of your insight, then it may better to take a few steps back, to regain composure, to walk away with your head held high; you know who you are, what you have done, and any other details; sometimes it proves to be safer to keep certain knowledge to yourself; its not worth risking highly intense, dangerous and violent situations or outcomes; be the bigger person, be true to yourself and who you are. THERE IS NO SHAME IN WALKING AWAY; this is control, power, and worthy of praise.
ForgottenMagic
August 11th, 2015 12:55pm
I admire your approach... and I believe it takes a lot of courage to stay calm in a very potentially chaotic scenario... In that sense, I believe you are strong rather than weak... It is very hard to ignore and avoid trouble when one is tempted to fight back, even verbally... But I think you understand better... and you know how to respond rather than just react... First, you don't have to prove anything to anyone... you know who you are and no one knows you better than your own self. Disrespecting you...? Who are they "really" disrespecting, you or their very selves? Aren't they actually being disrespectful to themselves first by acting upon their impulses and do not give themselves the time to think things over to resort to a more educated, civilized, peaceful manner of dealing with people? Anger doesn't resolve anything... disrespectful and rude words just amplify the anger and they escalate anger into a more serious rage... a rage that blocks the path of understanding... understanding oneself and others... I simply admire how you deal with things... and I salute people like you... a "strong" one, I believe...
Brittneym101
April 5th, 2015 2:19am
No, choosing to walk away and ignoring the bully only shows how strong and mature you are. You're not stooping down to their level, you know your self worth. It's not bad for you to stand up for yourself, but sometimes it's just not worth the fight. Sometimes walking away and ignoring the bully is all the fighting that needs to be done. You don't want to give them the satisfaction of thinking that they got underneath your skin.
Kinvaras
May 7th, 2015 12:02am
Absolutely not! As Jackie Chan taught us: The greatest victory is the fight that never happened. There is no shame in turning your back to a senseless fight.
neverletlifetakeyourspark
April 16th, 2015 8:16pm
Sometimes you have to just walk away. No, that doesn't mean you are weak. You just have to learn which fights to pick and which ones to walk away from.
Amber772
July 21st, 2015 5:27am
No. In fact, walking away just means you are strong and you are the better person in the situation.
igetcha
November 30th, 2015 6:42pm
Nope. Some battles aren't worth your time. You can't force someone to change their opinions. Some people are receptive. If someone chooses not to see reason, your time is honestly better spent elsewhere. You don't need to stick around their negative vibes. Walking away shows them their negativity doesn't matter and can't control you.
Dregran
April 30th, 2015 5:21am
No, you are not weak. It takes an incredible amount of strength to know when to walk away. You're the "better man" for building up the courage and walking away. Without context I am unsure what would have happened if you stayed, but if you avoided a physical confrontation or something that would result in a worse situation, then you are by all means strong for making a decision that would leave you better off. And as a side note, I do not believe that you need to "stand up for yourself" in all situations: You do not need to prove your worth to anyone who requires you do something to prove it (again though without context I can't be certain of what would have happened if you did remain). What I'm saying is you very much are strong and you didn't need to do anything in regards to the situation you left to prove your strength, as simply put you're strong by walking away.
Anonymous
January 9th, 2015 5:49am
Not at all. Sometimes it's so much better to avoid the drama and be the bigger person in the situation. :)
Anonymous
February 9th, 2016 6:18am
You are not weak for doing that. In fact, turning the other cheek is better than fighting it. It's okay to not fight back- you're being mature and making a good decision.
Anonymous
December 29th, 2015 2:27am
No, you are not, but you have to learn to stand up for yourself and stand on your own feet and be strong. Secondly, you don't need people's opinions to feel good about yourself, you are amazing the way you are. So you are not weak because life is all about our choices and what we choose so you are not weak
Molentra
August 27th, 2015 7:39am
No! Sometimes standing up for yourself will just make the situation worse. Sometimes you might just be so worn down by it that you just can't. Sometimes no matter how much you stand up for yourself, they just keep going or there are too many of them. Do what is right for you!
AstralShadow
March 7th, 2016 5:16am
There isn't really an answer to that, Theres a difference between standing up for yourself and simply walking away because you know it won't end just there. True strength lies whether your thoughts can decide what is right for you or what is wrong.
bestTruth96
January 9th, 2015 2:40am
No, I think standing up for yourself can mean walking away. Standing up for yourself does always have to face to face talking.
Anonymous
February 16th, 2018 7:14pm
No, you're never weak. Ignoring them is only making you win. Leaving them behind and going forwards is the best thing you can do.
Anonymous
March 26th, 2015 10:45pm
Of course not! That's a strong move. Walking away can make a situation easier than to argue and feel horrible about it.
Anonymous
June 28th, 2016 5:18pm
Definitely not! It shows strength to walk away from something that is upsetting us or causing us to feel negative. In many situations it is not always possible to stand up for ourselves and that is okay, but we should definitely not have to put up with someone upsetting us, so walking away is also a great thing to do.
Anonymous
August 8th, 2016 9:36pm
No you are not weak, you are avoiding conflict. Often that's the right thing to do or the smarter thing to do.
Helping2findaway
September 6th, 2016 4:50pm
I do not think walking away makes you weak bec only the strong are able to walk away from troubles..
HarveyM
October 10th, 2016 4:52pm
No, either way you're a strong person. You've decided that they're not worth the time and effort to make a scene, they have nothing better to do.
Anonymous
March 1st, 2016 8:59am
No. Walking away from a fight; where the other person is irrational enough to constantly block you; is the best way to deal with it. However if its something which is dear and important to you then standing up for yourself is totally worth it
SweetBliss98
April 9th, 2015 12:12am
Not at all, walking away often means you are the stronger person.You don't let negativity affect you. The ability to hold back from a fight is a great quality to have. This is strength, not weakness.
MaggieListens00
November 30th, 2015 6:27pm
I don't think walking away from a scenario is a sign of weakness I believe in some cases it can be a sign of strength. To be able to be a mature person and rise above people who want to drag you down is nothing you should be feeling down about!
Anonymous
May 24th, 2015 12:25pm
No, I don't think you're weak if you chose to not to stand up for yourself and walk away. Sometimes walking away is better.
seharkhan
August 25th, 2015 10:49pm
no of course youre not weak, you stand up and fight for what you believe in im proud of you, like well done
Chloelikesgrapes99
May 24th, 2015 11:47pm
No walking away is a smart idea, you are in no way weak it makes you the bigger person in the situation
CalmRosebud
May 26th, 2020 11:57am
No, this is an ancient practice of defense by acceptance and becoming soft, called tae kwon doe. It's an ancient martial art which has to do with becoming soft when the opponent expects resistance. It has to do with faith that there is room in the universe for both the opponents forceful attack, and your withdrawal into a different reality. Yes, there are times when one must stand up for oneself and it's important for pride to take a stance. But pride can sometimes conflict with an important piece, self-preservation, and one must preserve oneself at all cost, even to pride. One can be proud to be alive, to persist, to survive, to thrive.
Anonymous
December 22nd, 2015 1:32am
Yes, no offense. You should at least try and stand up for yourself and walk away strongly just to ignore them.
TaintedHaze
March 1st, 2016 6:24pm
Not at all. It just shows how strong you are. Walking away means you have self control. When people get angry and fight back it gives the bully satisfaction knowing they got under your skin, which is usually what they are trying to do, but if you ignore them and do not engage you instantly take that power away from them.
Anonymous
March 29th, 2016 4:55am
You are not weak when you walk away you might be feeling your not ready to take that stage so it's completely fine to back away from it and come back when your ready.