You Were Never “Too Much.” You Were Adapting.
You weren’t born too sensitive. Too driven. Too independent. Too much. You adapted. What many people call “personality” is often a nervous system shaped by survival. When love felt conditional, you learned to perform. When conflict felt unsafe, you learned to disappear. When your needs were ignored, you learned not to have them. And the world rewarded you for it. It called you strong. Resilient. High-functioning. Capable. But survival strategies are not personality traits. They are intelligent responses to environments that didn’t feel safe. Strength Is Often Survival in Disguise The overachiever. The people-pleaser. The one who never needs help. The one who stays calm while everything inside feels tense. These are not flaws. They are adaptive patterns formed early—when connection, safety, or consistency could not be relied on. Your nervous system learned: How to stay alert How to avoid conflict How to anticipate others How to carry more than was ever...