I sacrificed so much of myself for yearsssssssssss

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Belongs to: POV Oli Sykes is your Therapist
I sacrificed so much of myself for yearsssssssssss* for the well being of others. Last year it literally k*lled me. I was brought back and hospitalized and once I got out I immediately cut people out who were toxic. I have felt less stressed since, but now that I am alone and feel more lonely, all I have time to do is think about how much better off I would have been if I just didnt help any of those people :sweat_smile:

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Hey friend, thank you for trusting me with your experiences, it’s so hard to come to terms with the sacrifices you’ve made, especially when it feels like they drained you to your breaking point. Vocalizing this could not have been easy and I really appreciate you trusting me with this. It’s devastating to give so much of yourself, only to find that the people you were so dedicated to weren’t good to you. Toxic people are hard to deal with to say the least and cutting them off is a very much needed step in healing. But now that you have space to think, it’s natural to question whether those sacrifices were worth it. I understand that the loneliness you feel right now might make you think you’re love and care was for nothing but your empathy and willingness to help others are so rare in this world friend, they’re strengths, not burdens. It’s hard not to wonder what life might have been like if you’d protected yourself more, but those experiences, as painful as they were, have shaped who you are. The fact that you’ve come through it and are still here, still fighting, shows just how strong of a person you are. You’ve taken the steps to protect yourself now, this in and of itself is a huge step and I’m proud of you friend. Being alone can make the pain and loneliness feel more intense, but it can also be a time for healing and rediscovering who you are without the weight of others’ expectations. Take time for yourself, focus on YOUR own well-being, you deserve it. There is a future ahead for you where you will find peace and connection again on your own terms friend, please be kind to yourself and take things one day at a time.

I’m so sorry. It sounds like you went through a huge ordeal last year. Stretching yourself to your limits for others can be incredibly stressful but in your case it sounds like it caused harm and true danger to you. I imagine it makes it very hard to open up to people after something like that. I wonder if it’s very difficult to trust people anymore. I really appreciate how hard it must be, then, to reach out and talk about it here. It takes a very strong person to push past the regret, mistrust, and pain and tell people your story. You are really brave for doing that. We’re here to listen. You’re not alone.

You have set a new boundary and will find new friends that aren’t toxic if you keep those boundaries. People aren’t perfect, but some are just a drain on your life and not worth keeping around.