Heidi Byers LPC, NCC

You’ve spent most of your life being the person who has it together. You’re dependable. Capable. Thoughtful. You’re the one people come to when they need help—and you’re usually pretty good at figuring things out on your own. But underneath all of that, you may be exhausted. You might struggle to say no without feeling guilty, constantly worry about disappointing people, or find yourself saying “yes” when you really mean “I don’t want to.” You may hold yourself to impossible standards and feel like you’re never doing quite enough. Maybe you’re incredibly understanding of everyone else’s feelings, but have a hard time extending that same understanding to yourself. And when something goes wrong? You probably assume it’s your fault. You may not think of your childhood as particularly difficult. You may even find yourself thinking, *“My parents did the best they could.”* And they may have. But that doesn’t mean you didn’t have needs that went unmet. Those experiences can follow us into adulthood in ways that are surprisingly subtle: difficulty trusting yourself, overthinking decisions, feeling responsible for everyone around you. You can be capable **and still let people support you.** You can disappoint someone **and still be a good person.** And you can finally build relationships where you don’t have to earn your place by being everything everyone else needs you to be.