Definition: The self-sabotaging art of prioritizing everyone else’s comfort over your own needs until your inner well runs dry. Starts with “just being nice,” but morphs into swallowing resentment while performing exhausting emotional labor for free.
You become a doormat with a smile, training others to expect your constant overextension. The fallout? Burnout, buried rage, and relationships built on your depletion, not mutual respect. Setting boundaries feels rude, but not setting them is slow-motion soul erosion.
Example:
Sarah skipped lunch again, agreeing to cover her colleague’s shift while exhausted, her own needs buried under a mountain of “sure, no problem!”.
He spent hours calming his demanding friend’s latest crisis, swallowing his frustration about missing his deadline, feeling utterly drained but unable to say no.