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What is Self Abandonment
When we abandon ourselves, we are typically perpetuating something that was done to us by our caregivers in childhood.
As with many dysfunctional aspects of adult life, the tracks were laid in our formative years.
For those of us who self abandon, we are in the life-long habit of putting our own needs behind those of everyone around us. Even strangers.
What self-abandonment looks like
At the minor end of the spectrum, smaller acts of self-abandonment blend into our everyday activities.
It can look like agreeing to a night out with friends, when what you really need is peace and quiet.
You might tell yourself that you are doing this to be a good friend. But in all honestly, you worry too much about how it would look if you were honest and said you wanted an early night.
As a one-off, this is no big deal. But over time, putting your needs last does take its toll on your energy.
So you say yes to going out, spending money you didn’t want to spend, and losing sleep that you needed to have.
You say yes to that extra shift. You know you needed to rest this weekend, but you couldn’t let the team down.
