Not overfunctioning means not being a vessel for other people’s anxiety. That was my job in my family-of-origin. To absorb the psychic mess others couldn’t or wouldn’t handle. And then attempt, as a child, to manage what I didn’t understand or have the skills for. I did that for a long time as an adult. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy helped me to explore that dynamic: a survival mechanism in childhood is not a useful tactic for an adult.
Epiphany and Daily Practice: It’s okay for others to be anxious around me. But it’s not my job to help them manage that.
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