The Hidden Cost of People Pleasing

Being kind and caring towards others is a wonderful quality. But what happens when putting other people first means you regularly put yourself last?

People pleasing can sometimes look like always saying yes, avoiding conflict, worrying about disappointing others, or finding it difficult to express what you really want.

You may even become so used to considering everyone else’s feelings that you lose touch with your own.

The difficulty is that constantly putting other people’s needs before your own can leave you feeling exhausted, frustrated or unheard.

Learning to set boundaries doesn’t mean that you don’t care about other people. It means recognising that your own needs matter too.

For many people, people pleasing can be connected to deeper beliefs about being accepted, being liked or feeling that you need to keep everyone happy.

Taking some time to understand these beliefs can be the beginning of making a change.

You are allowed to say no.

You are allowed to have boundaries.

And you are allowed to put yourself first sometimes.