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People Pleasing


10 years ago 0 11226 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Red,

Thank you for creating this important thread. People pleasing is common and it can cause a lot of distress. It is important to learn to be assertive and to learn to say no. It is also important to learn to be ok with someone not liking you. The fear of rejection is often linked to people pleasing and some people say it is linked it early attachments - core beliefs. I think challenging your people pleasing tendencies is a very good idea. What is your first specific goal in doing this?


Ashley, Health Educator
10 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Red

I think this falls under "want to verses have to". Doing for others is fine if you want to but not if you have to. Core beliefs give you no choice because that is how they work. They are rules we work by. So normally fall under have to. But "have to" can act as a positive instead of a negative if we treat it like "want to". Treating core beliefs as "this is how I do things". But they have to be core beliefs acceptable to us then. Some obviously are not such as people pleasing. So if you like to do things for people but don't like the obligation then change that part of it. It no longer is people pleasing then. The rules are still rules but are yours now. Acceptable rather than necessary. Assertive rather than aggressive. I like to do things for people still if I can, I just don't let myself be used. It is hard because my health doesn't allow me much time or ability to help people.

Your book sounds very interesting. 

Davit.
10 years ago 0 2508 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Correction and addendum to my previous post..
 
Correction to first paragraph second to last sentence.  This is just example of the Ten People Pleasing Commandments. If you want to know the rest of them or know more you can purchase the book titled The Disease To Please written by Harriet B. Braiker, Ph.D. on amazon.com or at your local book store. You maybe able to check it out at your local library..copyright 2001.. She has since passed away..
 
I will try to put up excerpts for those that are interested when I am able..but for now what I am most concerned about is my own self improvement.
 
Red..
10 years ago 0 2508 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Davit,
 
As the word Should goes yes I now feel it is a negative  as is Ought, Always, Never, All the time , none of the time and so forth.. So I have started Replacing it with a corrective thought. Instead of I should always do what other want, need or expect I am Replacing that thought my new Corrected Thought "If and when I want, I can choose to fulfill the wants, need, or expections of others who are important to me". In this example. the categorical demand is softened in several ways. There are conditions of time and preference placed on the thought. There are Ten People Commandments i.e. Thoughts. Here is a example of a corrected thought for the first commandent in the list..
 
(i.e., "If and when I want.") Futher , the key word choose is included. Emphasizing choice reminds you that your are in change and in control. Futher while you may choos to fulfill certain needs of selected others some of the time, your are undder no absolute obligation to do so. Finall, note the inclusion of the clause "others who are important to me," that futher qualifies the conditions..Example Instead of: I should alway do what others want , need or expect from".Replace with Your Corrected Thought: I know that I don't always Have to do what others, want need or expect from me. I can Choose to give to certain people when and if I want to do so" It is important to really consider how to correct your own thing in a way that feels both liberating and curative so that each corrective thought has your own personal imprint..Now on to the Seven Deadly Shoulds...as it related to my false concept about what others should do because of the things I have done..
 
To be continued later..
Thats all for today..
 
One small step at a time.
 
Red...
 
 
 
 
 
10 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Red

The disease to please is a tough core belief to break because of all the other core beliefs attached to it that interfere. I think you can do it. I had to hit bottom first and get fed up. I also had to find the root that was the cause of all these core beliefs and it wasn't a need to please but a need to be better than I was. A core belief that said I wasn't good enough that came from living in the shadow of my brother. My brother was favourite son. He had advantages that allowed him to buy friends and discard them at will. So I built A core that said I had to work extra hard to be noticed. A core that said good enough wasn't good enough. A core that said I was stupid and a core that said I was ugly. The last two because they were the only reasons I could find for not being as popular as my brother. I never noticed that he was popular because he had things people wanted, not because he was liked. He had money, he had a car. I had nothing being second son. My people pleasing extended to working extra shifts no one wanted, doing jobs no one wanted and doing a better job than necessary to be noticed. Again the root wasn't about a need to make people happy but a need to be noticed as a somebody. It backfired because I was too picky and too hard to compete with. Not one of the crowd. Not an apple playing apple games. I still go out of my way to help people but the reason is different. And I only do it if I have the time. I have a life and I live it first.
So I think you need to ask yourself as I did, why build these core beliefs. Why the need to please. 
It came as a surprise to me that people could like me because I was interesting, that I could talk on most any subject but even more so that I could listen without it being people pleasing. I still go out of my way to be the best I can be but that is for me, not to be better than anyone. In this way I come first without being selfish.
There is a core that comes with people pleasing that is destructive. It is the need to be praised and thanked for the things you do. Thank you is a courtesy not a necessity. It can make you resentful of the things you do. If you find this core, drop it. The rule is anything given is given freely, expecting praise or thanks puts a payment on it and it is no longer free. Accept it when you get it but don't let it be a condition. That will only interfere with breaking a core belief by giving it a reason to stay around. Even if it is in a round about way. 

So this is just my take on this and what I did to get rid of those cores and ultimately the people pleasing. 

Davit.

Ps and you know I will be interested in how you get on and what you use to break that core.

Do you find "should" negative? I find it tiring and too close to "have to". I find "intend to" more to my liking. 

10 years ago 0 6252 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Red

The disease to please is a tough core belief to break because of all the other core beliefs attached to it that interfere. I think you can do it. I had to hit bottom first and get fed up. I also had to find the root that was the cause of all these core beliefs and it wasn't a need to please but a need to be better than I was. A core belief that said I wasn't good enough that came from living in the shadow of my brother. My brother was favourite son. He had advantages that allowed him to buy friends and discard them at will. So I built A core that said I had to work extra hard to be noticed. A core that said good enough wasn't good enough. A core that said I was stupid and a core that said I was ugly. The last two because they were the only reasons I could find for not being as popular as my brother. I never noticed that he was popular because he had things people wanted, not because he was liked. He had money, he had a car. I had nothing being second son. My people pleasing extended to working extra shifts no one wanted, doing jobs no one wanted and doing a better job than necessary to be noticed. Again the root wasn't about a need to make people happy but a need to be noticed as a somebody. It backfired because I was too picky and too hard to compete with. Not one of the crowd. Not an apple playing apple games. I still go out of my way to help people but the reason is different. And I only do it if I have the time. I have a life and I live it first.
So I think you need to ask yourself as I did, why build these core beliefs. Why the need to please. 
It came as a surprise to me that people could like me because I was interesting, that I could talk on most any subject but even more so that I could listen without it being people pleasing. I still go out of my way to be the best I can be but that is for me, not to be better than anyone. In this way I come first without being selfish.
There is a core that comes with people pleasing that is destructive. It is the need to be praised and thanked for the things you do. Thank you is a courtesy not a necessity. It can make you resentful of the things you do. If you find this core, drop it. The rule is anything given is given freely, expecting praise or thanks puts a payment on it and it is no longer free. Accept it when you get it but don't let it be a condition. That will only interfere with breaking a core belief by giving it a reason to stay around. Even if it is in a round about way. 

So this is just my take on this and what I did to get rid of those cores and ultimately the people pleasing. 

Davit.

Ps and you know I will be interested in how you get on and what you use to break that core.

Do you find "should" negative? I find it tiring and too close to "have to". I find "intend to" more to my liking. 

10 years ago 0 2508 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I have been doing some soul searching and think I have found the root of my negative core beliefs..
The Disease to Please is the name I have given it. Which is also the title of a self help book I am reading on the subject..
Reading this book has shown me that many of my negative core belief stem from this one idea..
The need to please others. This one thought include lots of should statements.
 
I should be nice. I should do for others. I should do what ever is asked of me. I should help everyone. I should be there for anyone who needs me. I should never say no to any request or demand because others need me and it is the nice thing to do. Of course I failed to realize that by doing this People Pleasing and being nice I was ignoring my own needs and was not looking out for my best interests..I was wearing myself down and it was taking a toll on my health both physically and emotionally and I also failed to realize that these same People were in no way obligated to appreciate my niceness or were in no way obligated to recipicate. They didn't have the Disease to Please.
 
So for me my Disease to Please has become a self defeating and very destructive habit..This negative core belief and many beliefs that stem off of that one ingrained belief have caused me so much anxiety, made me so anxious and lead me to a depressed state of mind many times. I became obsessed with people pleasing and thought I had perfected it to a science but what I failed to see was that you can't please all of the people all of the time and it's ok to say no and it's ok not to be nice. It ok to put your needs before others. Like others do..
 
So since I have finally found the core of my negative/false beliefs I have started working on changing these negative core Beliefs /Thoughts/Feeling/Actions..I have read it will some take time because this false beliefs have been ingrained since childhood and their roots go deep but with persistence and work they can be changed.
 
I am hopeful..
 
Red..
 
 

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