THE DARK SIDE OF SELF-DISCIPLINE

Contrary to popular belief, strict self-discipline is not the secret to success - quite the opposite. It can cause depression, anxiety and burnout. The better route to growth and resilience is self-compassion.

- Hannah Pisani

Do you wish you had more self-discipline? If you do, you're not alone. Research shows that a massive 97 per cent of us wish we were more and duties more carefully and consistently. In essence, most of us wish we had more grit. More self-discipline. But is this lauded trait really all it's cracked up to be? A growing body of research suggests otherwise.

Defining self-discipline 

Self-discipline is defined as "the ability to control one's feelings and overcome one's weaknesses". Sounds great in theory, right? If only we could motivate ourselves to effortlessly choose a salad over a pizza or resist hitting the snooze button when we made an internal agreement to head to work early the night before.

Self-discipline is, supposedly, the skill that helps us solve all these problems, enabling us to choose our long-term aspirations over our short-term desires. But, left unchecked, too much self-discipline can turn ugly.

Self-discipline or self-punishment? 

We all have internal monologues that accompany us throughout the day. Our mind is essentially a radio, broadcasting thoughts and ideas into our consciousness 24/7. With high levels of self-discipline, we can choose the thoughts and ideas we react to proactively.

Say, for example, you really don't feel like working on your side hustle at the end of a long working day. You're unmotivated and tired, and turning on Netflix is a much more appealing idea. In circumstances like these, self-discipline would, theoretically, help you overcome these urges and stick to your original plan. But here's where the risk lies. Too much self-discipline - too much sacrificing our in-the-moment needs and desires can lead to depression, anxiety and even burnout.