Many people think people pleasing simply means being kind, helpful, or caring. And of course, kindness is a beautiful quality.

One of the hardest things many trauma survivors carry is the question, “Why did I respond like that?” I hear this so often in the therapy room.

Anxiety is not random. It does not just appear without reason. It usually has a history. In Internal Family Systems we understand anxiety as a protective part of you. Not the whole of you. Not your identity.