“Ego Identification” – this is where we get “wrapped up” into our self. We set ourselves up for suffering if we are too identified (“This is who/what I am“) with what the Ego Identity says we are.
“The most common ego identifications have to do with possessions, the work you do, social status and recognition, knowledge and education, physical appearance, special abilities, relationships, person and family history, belief systems, and often nationalistic, racial, religious, and other collective identifications. None of these is [are] you.” ― Eckhart Tolle
One solution is to just be aware of it when it’s presented outwards. We can catch ourselves accepting an internal idea or thought and using it to prop ourselves up. Instead, allow it to become lighter in you. Meditate on “I am the awareness of those things“.
Have fun with the idea that you have chosen to accept those temporary identifications/stories. “In this life, I’m…“
EXHALE.