Entitled Much? Learn How To Stop Being a Spoiled Brat

Adults spoiled brats walk among us. They’re screaming at baristas for messing up their coffee, cutting lines because they should be first, and throwing tantrums when things don’t go their way. 

Are you one of them?

Are You a Spoiled Brat?

Introspection is brutal, but here are some hints that you might behave poorly and tips for readjusting your attitude. 

Everything is About You

Spoiled people think the world revolves around them. They act like others should worship them and take personal offense whenever someone doesn’t acknowledge them as a superior being. 

Refusal to Compromise

Everything is about you, so you must always get your way. There is no compromising with spoiled people; they think their wants are more important than anyone else’s. 

Lack Empathy

When you only think about yourself, you often forget that other people have feelings too. If you refuse to put yourself in someone else’s shoes or consider a situation from their perspective, you might be a spoiled brat. 

Act Out When You Don’t Get Your Way

Spoiled brats throw a fit on those rare occasions when things don’t go their way. They scream at service workers, pout, cry, throw things, hit walls, and cause an emotional ruckus until someone caves and gives them what they want. 

What’s Not a Spoiled Brat?

Although either gender can be a spoiled brat, the insult often gets thrown around a lot in misogynistic circles to describe women who stand up for themselves. 

You’re not spoiled for expecting an equal relationship, having standards, or refusing to be a doormat. 

How to Stop Being a Spoiled Brat

It’s not always easy to tell when we are being bratty and unreasonable. 

Introspection helps. When we realize we’re behaving poorly, we should make amends. 

Here are some ways to tell you’re behaving like a spoiled brat and steps to fix it. 

Separating Wants from Needs

Spoiled people refuse to understand the difference between wants and needs. Sometimes, we get upset because we think we need something, but in reality, we just want it really badly. To end your bratty behavior, you need to learn the difference. 

It’s not always easy. Humans have an uncanny ability to justify something as a “need” when it’s really a want. We can quickly morph into spoiled brats by giving into these mental gymnastics. 

But deep down, you know. 

You know paying your rent is necessary, and a new shirt is a want. You know you don’t NEED your coffee with exactly 2.5 pumps of vanilla and half a sugar packet. 

You can move to the next step once you recognize a need from a want. 

Have a Bit of Discipline

It takes a lot of willpower to want something but say, “You know what, I know I don’t need this right now.”  

I know first-hand. Every night, I want to eat a bag of hot fries for dinner, but I know that isn’t the answer. So, instead, I make a healthy meal. It’s more work, but it’s just as satisfying and probably won’t destroy my insides.

Food is my biggest weakness. You need to identify yours. 

Some folks lack discipline with money, things they enjoy doing or even talking. Their spoiled behavior manifests as buying whatever they want whenever they want or as monopolizing a conversation. These two behaviors come from the same spoiled headspace: What they want now matters more than anyone or anything else, and they lack the discipline to wait. 

If you don’t want to be a spoiled brat, you need to recognize that you won’t be able to get everything you want and be okay with that.

It may mean letting someone else speak even though there’s something you really want to say, putting down that cool new item you want, or turning off the video game to do something more important. 

Go with the Flow

Being spoiled doesn’t only apply to finance or material possessions. Many people act like spoiled brats when things don’t go their way. 

Folks freak out at airline employees because the weather caused a flight delay, cry at coffee shops because the order wasn’t exactly right, and fly into fits of rage because someone merged in front of them while driving. 

Life doesn’t always go the way we planned. Other people share your space. You must accept these two truths and allow space for disruptions to your schedule. 

If you are willing to readjust and go with the flow, you are less likely to be a spoiled brat.

Learn How to Compromise

The “my way or the highway” mindset is a one-way ticket to spoiled brat hood. 

Every relationship takes compromise, whether it be a romantic, friendly, work, or family relationship. 

Getting your way all the time isn’t healthy for you or the people who always bow down to you. It will eventually destroy all your relationships, as others will not want to work with, date, or even hang out with you. 

Stop being a spoiled brat in your personal relationships by learning to compromise when the occasion calls for it. 

Develop Empathy

Spoiled brats lack empathy, but you can develop it. 

The next time you want to scream at someone when things don’t go your way, pause for a minute and change places with them in your mind.

Are they out to get you, or are they just doing their job? Did they do it on purpose, or did they make a mistake? Is what you’re asking for reasonable?

Looking at the situation from a different perspective can help you develop empathy and stop behaving like an entitled brat. 

Self Care

Sometimes, we behave horribly in public because we’re too stressed to think straight. Every slight, no matter how small, triggers our fight or flight reflex, so we act out. 

This stressed-out behavior mimics spoiled brat behavior. 

If you behave poorly due to stress, you need to find time for self-care to manage your stress productively. Don’t take it out on the people around you. 

Stop Being a Brat

We’re all humans and we all behave bratty sometimes. But if you act like an entitled jerk more often than not, it’s time to make some changes. 

Stop being a brat. Your family and friends will appreciate it.