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Self-Sabotage or Self-Protection? The Nervous System’s Hidden Logic

We’re told all the time that procrastination, avoidance, or playing small is “self-sabotage.” But what if those behaviours aren’t sabotage at all? What if they’re your nervous system doing exactly what it’s designed to do - keeping you safe?

In this episode of Soul to Self: The Inner Compass, Victoria unpacks the deeper roots of so-called “self-sabotage” through the lens of nervous system regulation, trauma patterns, habit loops, and cultural conditioning. 

You’ll learn why shaming yourself for not taking action doesn’t work and how to begin meeting your behaviours with compassion instead of criticism.

✨ Inside, we explore:

• Why “sabotage” isn’t deliberate destruction, but survival in disguise
• The fight / flight / freeze / fawn responses in business and daily life
• How trauma and patriarchy shape the habits we mislabel as laziness or weakness
• The power of reframing self-sabotage as protection so you can regulate and re-educate your system
• A gentle reflection practice to help you shift from shame into self-kindness

This conversation is an invitation to untangle the web of fear, habit, and conditioning that shapes your behaviour and to begin seeing yourself as brilliantly protective and not defective.

🌿 Take a breath, join the reflection practice, and remember: you’re not sabotaging yourself. You’re surviving and that can change.

💌 Links & Mentions

→ Learn more about my 4-week programme Rise & Reset (founding cohort now enrolling for an 8 week group container starting Sept 2025!): Details here

🔗 Resources & Connect

• 🎁 Freebies & Work with me
• 📩 DM Victoria on Instagram @soulto_self
• Website www.soultoself.co.uk
• Watch episodes from season 2 on YouTube