How to stand up for yourself

While it is essential that you have the capacity to stand up for yourself in situations where you may feel bullied or overlooked, how you do it is important if you want to get your points across while maintaining well-balanced relationships.

Assertiveness is the singular most important factor in your ability to convey your thoughts and feelings respectfully, with dignity and self-confidence.

It can make people more cognisant of the validity of your outlook. Being assertive means standing up for yourself in a calm manner whilst being open to others' point of view.

People who are unable to express themselves well verbally cannot get their emotional needs addressed and often end up feeling frustrated, resentful and unheard.

On the other hand, aggressive people do not compromise on their belief in the correctness of their opinion, disregarding others' input. This can leave them isolated from others as their behaviour alienates others.

It takes practice to learn how to make yourself heard without being overly defensive or aggressive. Work on expressing yourself honestly and openly, listening to others, asking for clarity where necessary, and remember that nobody but yourself can invalidate you.