Why You Keep Rescuing Someone Even When It’s Hurting You | Episode 372 - Fragmented to Whole: Life Lessons from 12 Step Recovery | Lyssna här

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In this week's episode 372 of the Fragmented to Whole Podcast, I'm talking about what happens when you know a relationship or situation is hurting you, but you still feel like you absolutely cannot stop participating in it. I’m sharing what happened when I hit my codependent bottom with my friend Dan, and the realization that helped me understand why walking away felt just as unbearable as continuing to rescue him.

Some of the talking points I go over in this episode include:

Why you can know something is hurting you and still feel terrified to stop rescuing, fixing, enabling, or over-functioning.
How abandonment wounds can send us outward looking for love, safety, and affirmation—and how becoming the “savior” can become part of our identity.
Why stopping a codependent relationship can bring up intense fear, anxiety, and even a sense that something inside you is dying.
The questions to ask about what rescuing is costing YOU, what you need, and what you believe stopping says about who you are.
How getting support, setting boundaries, and discovering who you are beyond the role of savior can help you begin living differently.

You don't have to wait until you hit your own codependent bottom to ask for help. You can care deeply about someone and still acknowledge that what you're doing is costing you more than you can keep giving. Sometimes the hardest part of setting a boundary isn't figuring out what the other person needs; it’s facing who you believe you are when you stop being the one who saves them.

And you don't have to figure it all out before you begin. Tell the truth about what’s happening to someone who can support you. Get curious about the fear underneath the rescuing. Start paying attention to your own needs, too.

You can be compassionate without going on rescue missions. You can help people who are willing to help themselves. And you can begin discovering who YOU are beyond the role you've been playing in other people's lives.

Be sure to tune in to all the episodes to receive tons of practical tips on living a more whole life and to hear even more about the points outlined above.

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, take a screenshot of the episode to post in your stories and tag me! And don’t forget to follow, rate, and review the podcast and tell me your key takeaways!