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Why do I always think everything I do is wrong?

211 Answers
Last Updated: 05/05/2022 at 11:37pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Polly Letsch, LCSW

Clinical Social Work/Therapist

I provide non-judgmental, person-centered, objective therapeutic treatment for individuals of all ages to improve social, emotional, mental and other areas of functioning.

Top Rated Answers
maxxy1989
September 13th, 2017 10:52am
What I personally learned is, that you develope a negative mindset over time. It may be some people that have told you over and over again that you are messing up things, and at some point you start to believe them, even though it is not true. You should try to remember the last 5 things that you did correctly. And once you've found them, you will see there are many more things you are doing right. sometimes it's not your fault, so look around and make sure you are not in reality surrounded by assholes. ^^
SunAndEarthHealing
September 13th, 2017 9:02pm
We all have our doubts. We all have limiting beliefs from been brought up and influenced by our parents, others and our society. It can even start as young as an infant. If you were crying and in a moment no one picked you up but gave you something to eat instead, your subconscious mind can start to form a pattern if this is repeated. You'll start to creat a belief of "I am only good enough for food and it helps me stop crying. No one will make me feel good, only food". It may sound hard to believe that a baby could think this but it's only one of the many, many examples that I have come across in my line of work. These beliefs do not leave you unless you become conscious of the cause and allow yourself to create a new belief. You will go through your life chasing after food when you don't feel loved, thinking no one actually cares enough to comfort you when you're struggling and nothing you do in life will be good enough for others. This is only an example of course but it applies across the board. Some things which may help change limiting beliefs are meditation, mantras on self-worth as well as becoming more mindful of our negative thoughts and asking ourselves in a quiet state, "where does this come from?" This will allow us to go deeper within and change the way we think, which in turn will allow us to create new beliefs about ourselves and those around us.
NordligSno
October 1st, 2017 4:04am
I'd say it's thypically a lack of confidence either from life events, people talking down on you, you talking down on yourself, and so forth. There can be many reasonings but try to work on your confidence. When you think something you do is wrong, take a step back and think "I actually did a decent job", "I tried my best and that's enough", etc. :) At first it'll feel impossible but when you repeat something enough times, your brain takes it as facts and you start thinking that way automatically. It's the same way with negative thoughts, so try to avoid repeating to yourself anything negative related to you.
AmazingAmber
November 9th, 2017 12:53pm
The way you can solve this is to see into your own mind and use insights from both internal and external analyses to get a solution
karenw
November 9th, 2017 3:43pm
sometimes we can feel that way that everything we do is not good enough or right. its because we are so anxious to do things well. all we can do is what we feel is right at the time.
Anonymous
November 10th, 2017 6:03pm
Because you might have made some bad decisions in the past and they account for you thinking that you'll be doing the same again.
DylanKM
November 11th, 2017 2:51am
Humans are often hypercritical of themselves. The old phrase "You are your own worst enemy" didn't become notorious for nothing. We need to learn to treat ourselves how we wish to treat others. That being with respect and care.
Anonymous
November 15th, 2017 10:14pm
That is just a perception! Do what you are doing confidently. Believe in yourself and there will be no look back!
Lalicz
November 16th, 2017 7:48pm
Because your self-esteem is low and maybe things do not go as you would like, so the first thing you have to do is improve your self-esteem to gain confidence and think you can do things and get it right
bluelotus99
November 29th, 2017 7:08pm
It's flawed thinking, usually comes with depression. When we face an obstacle, we automatically want to cast blame. Usually we blame ourselves since that's the closest target. But self blame is an obstacle itself, and this goes on in a chain reaction. Look at things from a neutral and non-judgemental point of view, even against yourself, and it will work out from there.
positivePoetry45
December 6th, 2017 4:47pm
Maybe because you wish to always be perfect. Nothing worth having or doing is going to be easy the first time. Practice and patience will help with accepting the fact that we have to learn how to do something we are not familiar with. Allow yourself to make mistakes and don't be so hard on yourself! This is all a learning process to help us grow and develop!
MindPalace93
December 13th, 2017 11:06pm
There are many reasons why but a lot of it comes down to comparing yourself with other people or who you think you should be. It is good to self evaluate but it can be an issue when there is no limit to what you consider wrong. Being more compassionate and caring and forgiving to yourself can help a lot.
seBiene
December 15th, 2017 7:31am
Everyone is their own harshest critic. We all look so closely at what we do that we forget to take a step back and look at the broad picture of what we can and have done.
Anonymous
December 24th, 2017 9:56pm
Sometimes, we think that everything we're doing is wrong. This is usually when we're under stress or when we're lacking confidence, but it could be for many reasons that relate to you specifically. Try asking yourself "If someone else right beside me where to do what I just did, would I think what they're doing is wrong?" Be honest with yourself. Sometimes, we can be too hard on ourselves, but it's important to remember that we all do great things time to time.
ClaraOswald1
January 4th, 2018 4:48am
You'll always be skeptical on the work you do. Sometimes, you feel like everything you do is wrong. This is good! This means you know you can do better, and you know you can improve.
ItsZoha
January 5th, 2018 11:22am
Well, you might just be over thinking, what you do doesn't have to be perfect as long as you tried. You need to make yourself believe that you put in your best effort and that's what's right
Jennifer164
January 14th, 2018 9:31am
Maybe because you have a low self-esteem.Try questioning your thoughts when you feel this way.Try asking yourself,"Is there an evidence that proves me wrong here?"Or try telling yourself,"I can't always be the one who is wrong."
JeshuaMorbus
January 31st, 2018 2:01pm
It can be because constant negative feedback from your peers; or because you don't have any feedback at all. As i experienced and saw, those with some positive feedback, even if from time to time, risk more in their endeavours than those who only receive points in what they do wrong, as these prefer being a lot more cautious.
Anonymous
February 1st, 2018 8:48am
Because regret. That is a simplified way of looking at it. We all carry regrets in our lives. Sometimes we might want to try letting go of the what ifs and live with our decisions. Remember we made the best decision based on the given circumstance, there is no need to beat ourselves up over it!
Anonymous
February 8th, 2018 1:10pm
Probably because I am very self punishing. I like to find a reason to be angry at myself and so this is a good place to start.
Angel1011208
February 9th, 2018 6:46am
well, maybe you just want everything to be perfect, or you're comparing everything you do to other people's work! the thing that you have to keep in my is that everything happens for a reason and you could learn from the things you do wrong!
Yenthe
February 15th, 2018 12:48am
I believe you expect too much of yourself. Which makes it harder for you to live up to that. It is ok to take a step back.
Anonymous
February 15th, 2018 12:15pm
We doubt ourselves a lot, it doesn't mean we are actually wrong, and unfortunately I think its human nature. You got this!
Azymus
March 8th, 2018 12:27pm
In my case, it’s usually when I’ve done something similar before and ended up with a bad result. Most of the time, you can resolve the problem by slowly building up your confidence doing things you’re good at. But to quote Albert Einstein, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” We learn more from mistakes than we ever will from success. Trust me, you’ll get experience in time and learn to trust you, your brain and your hands.
Anonymous
March 28th, 2018 3:09am
It's a question that can only be answered at the personal level. Such insecurities regarding one's abilities can be caused by many reasons. Pinpoint the reason to uproot the cause of your insecurity.
Anonymous
March 30th, 2018 9:06pm
because you are your own worst enemy. You know all your flaws and your weaknesses. You can also easily neglect yourself. You just have to remember this fact and learn to have a bit more faith in yourself and in your abilities.
Anonymous
April 5th, 2018 11:34pm
with most things in my life i find myself always trying to better myself and not focus on getting the actual job done, sometimes if you just take one step at a time and not always try to perfect things you will find that in the end you wont thing your doing anything wrong
Anonymous
April 6th, 2018 7:07am
because I can accept myself and make peace with my past, I know myself well enough, and I am grateful for that.
BritishSteven
April 12th, 2018 3:35pm
It sounds like you have some self confidence issues, when we think that we aren't good enough, it is easy to think that we can't do anything right, try to take time to appreciate yourself and learn to love you.
amiablePeace77
April 20th, 2018 9:02pm
May be that is what you understood as a child from your caregivers/surroundings and it manifested in your inner self, so you might not value and trust yourself