Perfectionism – Do you set impossibly high standards for yourself, feeling that anything less than flawless performance is unacceptable? Perfectionism. Perhaps you spend excessive time preparing or checking your work, delay completing projects until they’re “perfect,” or avoid challenges where you might not excel immediately. While this perfectionism often masquerades as high achievement orientation or…
Trauma adaptations – Do you pride yourself on being hypervigilant, never needing help, or maintaining perfect control of your emotions? Trauma adaptations. Perhaps you’ve built an identity around being the strong one, the peacemaker, or the person who never has needs of their own. While these traits might appear as natural aspects of who you…
Survival Skills – Do you pride yourself on being hypervigilant, never needing help, or maintaining perfect control of your emotions? Survival Skills. Perhaps you’ve built an identity around being the strong one, the peacemaker, or the person who never has needs of their own. While these traits might appear as natural aspects of who you…
Say No – Do you find yourself exhausted from trying to solve other people’s problems? Say No. Perhaps you’re the one everyone turns to in a crisis, the mediator in conflicts, the emotional support for struggling friends and family. While your compassion and willingness to help are beautiful qualities, there’s a critical distinction between supporting…
You Can’t Fix Others by Breaking Yourself Breaking Yourself. Do you find yourself exhausted from trying to solve other people’s problems? Perhaps you’re the one everyone turns to in a crisis, the mediator in conflicts, the emotional support for struggling friends and family. While your compassion and willingness to help are beautiful qualities, there’s a critical…
Chronic apologizing – Do you find yourself constantly saying “sorry” for things that don’t require an apology? Chronic apologizing. Perhaps you apologize for speaking up in meetings, for taking space in a crowded hallway, or even for asking questions that are perfectly reasonable. Maybe you feel a subtle but persistent sense that your very presence…
Emotional Burnout – Do you feel a profound exhaustion that rest doesn’t seem to touch? Emotional Burnout. Perhaps you’re going through the motions of life without genuine engagement or joy. Maybe you find yourself increasingly irritable, cynical, or emotionally numb. If physical causes have been ruled out yet these experiences persist, you might be facing…
Attachment Style – Do certain patterns consistently emerge in your close relationships? Attachment Style. Perhaps you become anxious when partners need space, or you feel suffocated by normal intimacy. Maybe you find yourself attracted to unavailable people, or you shut down emotionally when relationships deepen. These patterns aren’t random personality quirks or moral failings—they reflect…
Healing the Wound – Have you carried a persistent sense that something is fundamentally wrong with you? Healing the Wound. Perhaps you became the “problem child” or “difficult one” in your family—the person who seemed to attract blame, criticism, or concern regardless of your actual behavior. If you recognize this experience, you may have been…
Hypervigilance – Do you find yourself constantly striving to prove your worth, yet never quite feeling like you’ve arrived? Hypervigilance. Perhaps you’ve achieved impressive goals, maintained high standards, or received external validation, but that persistent sense of “not enough” remains stubbornly present. This feeling isn’t random or a character flaw—it’s a specific psychological wound with…