Author: Juliane Volosky
Happy Habits Health and Wellness Blog

Header Photo: Taken at Mt Washington, New Hampshire, June 2024
Captured By: GWV Productions, Dubois PA
This blog is for anyone trying to overcome and better prevent falling into a victim lens or mindset of thinking. You may already be aware of this lens of thinking, but let this blog be a gentle reminder that we all fall victim to this mindset from time to time. This blog aims to clearly define what a victim mindset is, help you recognize when you are falling victim to this lens of thinking, and provide you with a step by step guide to prevent/better manage this mindset. You are not ALONE! The more we can recognize and practice awareness around this mindset- the better we can heal and manage it. It’s time to be in better control of our lives and how we respond to our experiences- rather than feeling like a victim to them! Happy Habits- Happy Reading- Thanks for tuning in this week!
What is a Victim Mindset:
A victim mindset is when a person/s is navigating through life with a self limiting/victim lens. Rather than taking ownership of their mistakes/shortcomings, they place the blame on everything and anyone but themselves.
When a person refuses to self reflect or take responsibility for their inner thoughts, negative habits, behaviors, emotions, and actions they fall into a victim mindset. This mindset and lens of thinking will result in self deprecating thoughts and feelings of low self worth. People
navigating through a victim lens will feel like the world is against them. They feel like they have zero control over their life, thoughts, wellbeing, feelings of happiness, healthiness, contentment, and joy. Others may perceive a person with a victim mindset as self absorbed, manipulative, disrespectful, negative, pessimistic and out of touch with reality.
I find myself falling into this mentality and mindset more than I would like to admit, and it continues to take ahold of my overall wellbeing, health, happiness, and the emotions/wellbeing of others when I am operating through this lens of thinking.
Even if you feel like you are a person who is living life through a positive lens and with an abundant mindset; it’s important to conciously do the inner work to better recognize, manage, and have awareness when you are falling into a victim mindset/lens of thinking. We are all imperfect beings- so we all one time or another will fall into this lens of thinking.
Our ego and sense of pride we have for ourselves will do anything possible to place blame on anyone and anything but ourselves
It is a protecting mechanism to hide our limitations, shadows, and flaws. We don’t want to be seen as imperfect; so our brain has a way of subconsciously shifting the blame on everything and everyone else- with zero self reflection of our own actions/behaviors/mistakes/limitations.
I notice that I am operating through a victim lens when I immediately feel my ego and sense of pride reacting to an experience in a negative way. When someone or something causes a reaction and feelings of anger or resentment- I try to focus my time and energy on reflecting rather than reacting and placing the blame on others.
When I feel the instant need to react or get defensive, I try to spend time in the present moment reflecting on my inner dialog rather than reacting harshly or quickly to what is going on in my external world.
If I can recognize WHY I am operating from a place of lack and anger, this gives me freedom and power to uncover my deepest insecurities,
past trauma, and behaviors for why I’m falling into a victim lens and trying to place the blame on everything in my external world- rather than taking any personal responsibility of my own thoughts, actions, and behaviors.
While it is important to be the person god has uniquely designed us to be and accept ourselves for our flaws. It is equally important to reflect and take responsibility for our in the moment decisions, actions, behaviors, and habits when they don’t align with our values and moral compass. Instead of placing all the blame on others- make sure you take partial responsibility and ownership of your mistakes and shortcomings when needed. It’s easy to shift the blame immediately on everything outside of yourself.
When you recognize you are in a negative lens like being the victim and blaming others for your shortcomings, you are taking responsibility for your actions. This will create an upward spiral to your overall wellbeing and make significant and positive changes into your life, others lives, and your surroundings. When you take responsibility of your own shortcomings and mistakes- you begin to make less and less excuses for yourself; which gives you power and the ability control your narratives, mindsets, actions, decisions and behaviors for your future experiences in life.
When you do your own personal inventory and are in a constant state of reflection; you begin to live life more abundantly and find better alignment with your goals, happiest, and healthiest self instead of being a victim
and finding excuses, false narratives, and negativity with your life experiences.
How to Manage/Prevent Victim Mindsets
Step 1: SELF REFLECTION & RECOGNITION
Step 1 to becoming more abundant and minimizing a victim mentality would be to do a lot of self reflection when you feel heated and the need to instantly react during an experience. Reflection will ensure you are practicing awareness and taking responsibility of your own habits, actions, behaviors, and how you communicate with others. If you are instantly reacting and blaming other people or your circumstances for why you are feeling angry or upset- you are not in alignment with your happiest and healthiest self. It may be time to do more self recognition on what habits, behaviors, actions, and insecurities YOU are falling victim to and blocking you from achieving the most ideal version of yourself.
Step 2: CALLING OUT YOUR EGO/PRIDE & PRACTICING FORGIVENESS
Step 2 to becoming more abundant and minimizing a victim mentality would be to call out your ego. Sometimes pride and ego will take control of the inner dialog in your head. We allow narratives like excuses and blame shifting on others to take priority over ownership of our own behaviors, belief systems, and personal limitations.
For example: Rather than taking ownership of your lack of exercise and poor nutritional choices- you choose to blame “time” and “other obligations in your life” as to why you aren’t aligning with a person who makes exercise and diet a priority in their life.
Once a person can recognize and call out their ego- they can forgive themselves and their limiting beliefs. When you take responsibility of your own habits/behaviors this gives you the power to forgive yourself and forge ahead by shifting your habits and behaviors to more abundant ones in better alignment with your goals and a healthier version of yourself.
Step 3: CONSTANT INVENTORY AND CONCIOUSLY TRYING TO REPROGRAM YOUR SUBCONCIOUS THOUGHTS/BRAIN
Step 3 to becoming more abundant and overcoming a victim mindset would be to constantly inventory and reflect on your daily thoughts and behaviors. When you make a conscious efforts to call out your false narratives, thought patterns, excuses, and negative belief systems- you will live your life less in your ego and on placing blame on others, and more in an abundant space where you control your life and reality better. Rather than constantly having thoughts like “why me, poor me, everything bad always happens to me” you start thinking through a more positive paradigm like “what is this teaching me, there is a lesson in the struggle, and although it feels like a struggle right now; strength is in the struggle”
I hope this blog serves as a reminder that victim mindsets are not only practiced in individuals with low self worth, self esteem, and negative mindsets. They are common in everyone because our subconscious brain loves to protect our insecurities and flaws and blame others for our mistakes and shortcomings. The more we can recognize and manage when we fall into a victim mindset; the more freedom and abundance we can unlock in our lives. As always I am blessed and have so much gratitude for you all tuning into todays blog! Happy Habits!
Sincerely,
JV
Happy Habits Health and Wellness Blog