student asking question

What does "beat oneself up" mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Beat oneself up" means to scold or criticize yourself harshly for making a mistake or for something that you couldn't fix or change. It's essentially being mean to yourself. Ex: Don't beat yourself up over this. Mistakes happen. Ex: I used to beat myself up over every little error I made. I had to learn that these errors are normal. Ex: She is always beating herself up. It's not healthy. Ex: It's not your fault. You can't beat yourself up over something you can't control.

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