When we think of gaslighting, we typically associate it with a person in our life whether it’s a romantic partner, friend, co-worker, or family member. But have you ever stopped to think whether you were gaslighting yourself? The definition of gaslighting is a form of manipulation that causes the victim to question their thoughts, their reality, and even memories and events. It questions a person’s sanity and is viewed as emotional abuse.
Gaslighting can lead to self-doubt, low self-esteem, and other unhealthy habits. And while there are outside forces that can cause you to develop these insecurities and be in an abusive relationship, you can also unconsciously be in an abusive relationship with yourself. Here are some signs that you are self-gaslighting.
You Place the Blame on Yourself
Have you ever been in a situation that was out of your control and yet, you still blamed yourself? Better yet, have you ever blamed yourself or made excuses for someone else’s actions? This is a form of self-gaslighting because you are punishing yourself for someone else’s behavior.
You Don’t Trust Yourself
Some people tend to overthink and second-guess everything, which means they don’t trust themselves or their judgment. If you don’t trust yourself, how can you trust others? Just like gaslighters can manipulate your reality and make you not trust yourself, you can also do that to yourself if you’re not careful.
You Don’t Allow Yourself to Have Feelings
Everyone has feelings and it’s okay to express them, especially if a person or a situation made you feel a certain way. As a self-gaslighter, you may ignore your feelings or discount them but you have every right to feel good or bad and share that out loud.
If you identify with any of these signs, don’t worry. Here’s how to combat that way of thinking.
One word: self-affirmation. It’s nothing fancy and it doesn’t sound like a lot of work, but it’s a lot harder than we think. Self-gaslighters have the tendency to invalidate their thinking and their feelings and to prevent yourself from going that route, you have to do the opposite and that is to affirm yourself.
So, whenever you start having those bouts with self-gaslighting, tell yourself that you are worthy and that your feelings and thinking are valid. No matter what anyone else says.
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"When I graduated high school, I moved back to America, Georgia, and I ended up making, like, the oil, the Rose Galore oil, which is like the staple product of my brand. I don't know what made me make it, but I did, and it literally cleared my face up," she tells xoNecole in an exclusive interview.
"I end up selling it as a body oil first because, obviously, I'm 17, [and] don't have any background as an esthetician or anything like that. I just made a product that worked for me, but people bought it and was using it, and I reformulated it, and then it just stuck like with me."
While MoonXCosmetics is known for its facial products, it wants to expand to body care and home. It just released its new product, Moon-Gel body wash, and it's only up from there. As Mariee continues to grow the brand, it's more than likely that she will see more history-making moments. And so far she has.
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When asked if she feels pressure to obtain more of those milestones, she says yes and no. "I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more," she says.
"I want to say more reach than more like fast-paced sales. I do want that. Obviously, every girl wants that, but I do want to have a better overall reach for my brand because I did take two years off so I was able to learn, [and] study a lot of different things. See how things have changed from 2020 to now."
"I did $1.8 [million] again, and then I did $2 million but I feel like now, currently, I don't look at that as one of my goals anymore because [of] the headache and just everything that came with it, but I was thankful and blessed to have that milestone, but now I'm looking for more."
Another part of expanding for any company is hiring people. Finding the right person to help you can be a hassle, especially for business owners who are used to doing all the work themselves. Mariee can relate to this, and she touched on this topic in her documentaryThe Million Dollar Story. She recommends having someone be your "right-hand man" who you trust to handle the ins and outs of the company.
"I could say, definitely get, like a right-hand man to help you within the process because that really was what helped me. I never had a job. I literally was 18 now, being like, you know, the boss of over 30+ employees at one point in time, and I didn't know anything. I didn't know anything about no W-2s, no taxes, no clock in, clock out because all I [have] ever known was my brand," she explains.
"So I definitely partner with people who are very skewed and versed in those areas, and they helped me get through it. Even to this day, I still have my same person helping me with hiring, firing, [and] doing everything that I can right now because I'm still learning. But obviously people get jobs young, so they have way more experience than me, but still learning."
And though she is still learning, one thing she makes sure to stay on top of is being consistent. Consistency is what trips many people up when it comes to achieving goals, but Mariee says it's all about scheduling. Whether it's when to post on social media or email marketing, scheduling it out can make a world of difference. That same practice also works when planning out her future goals for the company.
"Right now, future goals would be to drop at least five more products before the end of the year. We always do outreach, where we do drives and all that, but definitely do way more this year, she says. "Then really dive into body [care], and then hopefully open up MoonXBody underneath MoonXCosmetics to let that branch out and be open and definitely get back consistent."
For more information, visit moonxco.com.
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