Self-respect is refusing to negotiate yourself away for temporary acceptance.

Trading pieces of yourself for approval always looks like a small exchange in the moment. You agree with something you do not believe, you laugh at what hurt you, you soften a boundary because holding it would make things awkward. The acceptance you get in return is temporary, because it is acceptance of the version you performed. What you gave up, meanwhile, tends to be permanent, and each concession makes the next one easier.

Notice the specific moment when you feel the pull to shrink, and just let the pause sit there for a second before you respond. You do not have to become confrontational to stop conceding. Very often it is enough to simply not say the thing that would have bought you approval you did not need.