Trying to make everyone happy

[evie15]

I have a bad habit of trying to please everyone around me, the exception being myself. That sounds so conceded when I actually write it out, which I also hate. I have lived making a lot of my larger life decisions according to what other people think is right. I have finally realized it has put me in a place that I never thought I would be nor that I want to be, and it has made me incredibly unhappy. The horrible anxiety that perpetually reminds me how much I worry about every little thing is all part of being so unhappy and molding my life into what others think it should be. I think the worst part is that theres not really anything I can do now to change that. This has been a very enlightening life lesson. I will try to go forward and not care what others think. period. But I am stuck in the damage I have already done.

[easy-co]

I too have been guilty of being a 'people pleaser' for many years and it's this very thing that can lead to anxiety - we become trapped in a cycle of thinking whereby we are relentlessly trying to do what others would have us do and never thinking enough about ourselves. I've also been a perfectionist in my work and hobbies, always demanding too much of myself and worrying that I've not been good enough.

I'm much more mindful now of how much I'm giving others and trying to keep a balance on it to be more fair to myself. If you can adopt this way of thinking I reckon you'll be a lot happier. Wishing you well.