About the author: Dr Vesna Grubacevic is the founder of the award-winning company, Qt. She holds a PhD (Cl.Hyp), BEc, is a certified NLP and hypnotherapy trainer, author and speaker. For over 25 years she has passionately helped individuals to transform their confidence, emotional and mental wellbeing, health, relationships and success. Dr Vesna also runs NLP and Hypnotherapy certification trainings, and she will be presenting in our next webinar series
Would you like to stop the rollercoaster with your weight or other health issues? Do you wish you could stop the recurring patterns of ill health or injury? Have you wondered how to achieve consistent motivation and good health?
Understanding self-sabotage can offer valuable insight—and new pathways forward.
What is self-sabotage?
Self-sabotage occurs when you want to achieve something, yet your actions—or lack of action—prevent you from being, doing or having what you want in your health or in life. Any time you undermine your own efforts, hinder your progress or undo your good work, you may be sabotaging yourself, either consciously or unconsciously.
There are many ways people can sabotage their health. A key to understanding these patterns lies in the mind–body connection.
What is the mind–body connection?
The mind and body are deeply interconnected. Our emotional and mental states are closely linked with our physical health—this relationship is commonly referred to as the mind–body connection.
There is a growing body of research supporting this connection. In his 1986 book Quantum Healing, Dr Deepak Chopra noted that neurotransmitters bathe every cell of the body. This means that our thoughts—positive or negative—can influence the functioning of our entire system. In this way, mental and emotional states can have real physiological effects.
How your thoughts affect your behaviour and health
Our thoughts play a powerful role in shaping our experiences. Through our actions—or inaction—our thinking influences our outcomes. A
2023 study from Washington University School of Medicine found that “The link between body and mind is embedded in the structure of our brains, and expressed in our physiology, movements, behaviour and thinking.”
We are constantly programming ourselves. Every thought, word and emotion contributes either to health and wellbeing, or to stress and imbalance. Thoughts influence how we feel, which in turn affects our behaviour, habits and lifestyle choices.
Health is largely an internal process, and we have more influence over it than we often realise. By taking responsibility for our thoughts, emotions, beliefs, habits and lifestyle, we empower ourselves to make meaningful and lasting changes to our health.
Emotions and your health
Emotions provide valuable information about what feels supportive or uncomfortable for us. Paying attention to them is essential. One potential consequence of suppressing or ignoring emotions is declining health. While all emotions are valid, holding onto unresolved negative emotions for extended periods may negatively affect wellbeing.
Research has demonstrated links between prolonged negative emotional states and physical health. For example, studies at Concordia University suggest that harbouring bitterness over time can lead to anger, which may affect metabolism, immune function, and organ health. A 2013 study at Ohio University found that rumination on negative events can increase inflammation, while research at Ohio State University showed that loneliness may negatively affect immune function through inflammatory responses.
When negative emotions remain unaddressed, they can weaken immune resilience and reduce motivation to engage in healthy behaviours such as nourishing eating, exercise and adequate rest. Emotional eating and substance dependencies may also develop as coping mechanisms.
Addressing emotional wellbeing is therefore an important step in supporting motivation, confidence, health and overall quality of life.
Beliefs and your health
Beliefs are the deeply held convictions we have about ourselves, our abilities, our health, other people and the world around us. They shape
what we believe is possible and influence how we respond to life.
Our beliefs affect our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours—and therefore our health outcomes. Empowering beliefs (such as “I am capable of supporting my health” or “I deserve to feel well”) can encourage healthy behaviours. Limiting beliefs (such as “I’ll never be healthy” or “I don’t deserve wellbeing”) may unconsciously undermine our efforts.
Many healthcare practitioners have observed cases where individuals experience unexpectedly positive outcomes, often linked to strong belief, mindset and emotional resilience. In Love, Medicine and Miracles, Dr Bernie Siegel highlights the role of mindset in healing, noting that emotional and psychological factors can play a significant role in disease and recovery.
The power of suggestion
We are continually exposed to suggestions that shape our thinking and behaviour—through media, advertising and social expectations. Messages about body image, success, relationships and health are everywhere.
Some suggestions carry more influence than others. Prestige suggestions—those from authority figures such as doctors, teachers or parents—are often accepted without question.
In today’s world, media plays a significant role in shaping perceptions. Years of exposure to television, online content and advertising can subtly influence beliefs, daily habits and our understanding of health and wellbeing.
Being mindful of what you watch, listen to, read and the people you surround yourself with is an important step in protecting both mental and physical wellbeing.
The most powerful suggestions of all
The most influential suggestions are the ones we give ourselves through our self-talk.
Positive self-talk can support health, confidence and motivation. Negative self-talk, however, can undermine healthy habits and reinforce self-sabotaging patterns.
Unresolved emotions and limiting beliefs often fuel negative self-talk. When left unaddressed, these patterns can sabotage behaviour and impact health over time.
How to stop self-sabotage
An essential step toward a healthy mind–body connection is taking personal responsibility for your health. While support from others can be valuable, meaningful and lasting change begins within. Our thoughts, emotions, habits and behaviours are within our influence—and therefore so is our health.
One effective approach to creating change is working with the inner world to influence the outer results.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a set of techniques designed to help reframe habits, emotional responses, beliefs and self-talk, while also improving communication and relationships.
Hypnotherapy works with the unconscious mind to support the release of unwanted habits, create new thinking patterns, enhance performance and support the body’s natural healing processes.
Unlike purely conscious analysis, NLP and hypnotherapy work at an unconscious level and are often used to support faster, longer-lasting change.
Using a combination of NLP and hypnotherapy, it may be possible to:
Address underlying contributors to health challenges.
Interrupt recurring patterns of illness or injury.
Release unresolved emotions.
Create greater consistency in health and wellbeing.
Overcome unwanted habits.
Reduce procrastination and build motivation.
Support chronic pain management.
Assist the body’s healing.
Your action steps
A practical step toward reducing self-sabotage is to begin noticing:
Your thoughts and self-talk.
Your emotions.
Your habits and behaviours.
What you read, watch, listen to and who you spend time with.
Ask yourself: Are these supportive or undermining my health?