What is the sense of entitlement? The belief that others owe you something for what you have done.

I always thought I am a person who isn’t infected with this virus but guess what? When I looked deeper, I found that I was infected by this virus, and it has some serious side effects. How many of you have already given a mental shake saying hmm I am not infected by it?

Before we get into what or how each one of us is infected by this virus, lets just understand the side effect it has. A person infected by this virus will look normal and, in most cases, doesn’t show any physical symptoms. The infection from this virus is a silent mental toll and the worst part is we are not even aware of it. The world is more conscious about all things related to mental health now, but we are yet to recognize this virus. When in fact, it is a virus which mutates into many different forms in our system. It is a virus that creates most of your fear, your irritation, and your dissatisfaction with life.

Wondering how is that even possible? Especially when you already know you are not infected by this virus at all?

My sentiments exactly! I am person who helps others when I can, I don’t ask for anything for which I haven’t worked hard for, I love my family, I don’t break laws, I am never disrespectful to people, I encourage and support anyone who is feeling low or needs that support. Then how can I be infected by this virus?

Well, you see, if you remove the notion of rich, powerful, and ungrateful people being the only ones infected, you will reach to the core of this. Just as you need to peel the onion layer by layer to reach its core.

A sense of entitlement is present every time you have expectations and that leads to, you feeling all those negative emotions which ultimately lead to fear being the driving emotion.

I am nice to you and therefore its natural to expect that you will be nice to me as well. I love my family and therefore its natural to expect them to love me back. The natural expectation is what in real terms is “sense of entitlement.”

Your being nice to me doesn’t automatically give you the entitlement of it being reciprocated. What if I am person who has been cheated time and time again and I just can’t trust anyone to be nice without a hidden agenda to hurt me later. You are being nice but here I am looking for the agenda to come out in the open. While I am looking for the agenda your sense of entitlement has hurt you, made you feel anxious and who knows how many other emotions.

Whereas in reality, I haven’t done anything to you per say. It is your sense of entitlement that has led to your hurt and the whole gamut of emotions there by making me the bad person.

While me or hundreds of other people you interact with can be villain of your story, what you need to realize is that they haven’t rally, done anything to you but have just triggered your sense of entitlement.

When you tell your kids you can “at least” do this much (this much can be anything from cleaning their room to putting their cup in the sink). The minute you put the word at least in your statement its really the virus of entitlement talking and waiting to bring about the whole gamut of emotions and create havoc in your head.

Or when you even think about something with “the least that you can do is” it is the virus talking. The craziest example I think about is you walking on the road and all of a sudden someone throws something at you. What’s the first thought that comes to your mind? The least I expect is for people to have some common sense or basic decency. Hey that’s your sense of entitlement talking…. Now you are “entitled” to think that it is the basic decorum expectations from society, but my friend you are expecting all humans to be like you and assuming common sense. The minute someone does something like this he/she is showing you they don’t have basic decency and common sense and they need your pity or censor not your sense of entitlement.

I would urge you to think and think hard on any incident you faced today and look at it step by step and see where the facts moved from being facts to your sense of entitlement/ expectations?

I would love to hear your comments about this virus and the effects it is having on your mental health every day.