Today I’ve Decided That I’m Going to Stop Being a People-Pleaser
How can I stop this habit and maintain my empathy?
People will take advantage of whoever they can, to get whatever they want. I know this is a generalization, but we all do it. It’s not malicious, it is a way for people to emotionally survive. People are naturally manipulative. It begins when we are infants and we learn to fake cry to get our parent’s attention.
I am a notorious people pleaser. Especially with the people I love. There are people in my life that know this and take advantage of my kindness and passivity. This is going to stop today. I am done with saying yes to something I do not want to do, just to feel burnt out later. I’m done with feeling guilty after saying no to something unreasonable that I’m being asked to do. I’m just done.
If you are an empath, you will feel another person’s feelings deeply. If you are an empath and also a people-pleaser, it is like a knife your heart to disappoint someone you care about. Here’s the real kicker: We feel this guilt even if this person has disappointed us multiple times in the past.
People-pleasing is a natural instinct for an empath. We want everyone to be happy and content. We are the peace-makers. Empaths typically do not like to “rock the boat”. We put ourselves second. Actually, if I am being…