I Care Way Too Much About What People Think About Me

I Ask Not For A Lighter Burden, But For Broader Shoulders... This is one of the many things I am in therapy for! I tend to over-extend myself because I am so afraid of disappointing others, they ask me to do something and I just can’t say no. This usually causes my plate to be too full for me to handle and even as I struggle under the load of my overstuffed plate… I can’t help but pile even more on top, because I just can’t say no when people need me. All my life, I thought I cared too much, about what other people think of me… However, I am beginning to think that there is only one person I can’t please no matter how hard I try. It doesn’t matter how many good deeds I do or how many people I help… it will never be enough to please myself. It isn’t that I need to do all these things to please others, I don’t allow my plate to become so full that I crumble under crushing weight of it because I want other people to like me… The reason I take on more burdens than I can handle is because I need to make myself like me.

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pookiem

Hello to both yourself & my friend, akablondie. My problem with taking on so much to help others was the fact that I knew what it was like to need help & how grateful I was when a friend was able to assist me. What woke me up to the fact I was taking on too much was when I found myself helping 2 people move and taking care of a neighbors cats & cleaning for while she was gone. All in one week! Not to mention that mr p. was feeling terribly neglected. I was also depressed but very good at hiding it. I've since gone to therapy as well as medicine & doing much better.
Liking yourself is so, so important. It's the most important thing in the world. There are a great many quotes that speak to helping others & such and there also are many that speak to morale & self esteem. I believe everything in moderation, (I wish I could remember that on a few things). The most important thing in life is to first, hold hands with yourself and it sounds like you're on the right path. Good wishes to you & keep in touch.