How do I release the burden of feeling responsible to protect my siblings from the struggles and challenges of life?: Ask Dr. Julie Hanks

In this episode, I coach Dakota and address the question, “How do I release the burden of feeling responsible to protect my siblings from the struggles and challenges of life?” Dakota is the oldest of six children, and she has always felt responsible for her younger siblings. She wants to be there to help them, but she finds herself taking on their problems and as a result sometimes feels drained and ill.

It is a myth that you can solve someone else’s problems. The belief that you can take on someone else’s burden for them is draining, heavy, and unhealthy. I invite Dakota to let go of the belief that she is responsible for solving her family’s problems and ask her to instead see herself as a support. We practice setting boundaries and talk about how boundaries will ultimately make her more effective in offering help to those she loves.

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