People-Pleasing, Overachieving, and Never Feeling Safe: Childhood Trauma Therapy in Falls Church, VA for Adults Facing Workplace Burnout
People-pleasing: More Than Just Being “Nice”
Just like fight, flight, and freeze, people-pleasing is a type of survival response that gets activated when a threat is detected. People-pleasing is specifically a relational type of threat response: when you perceive that a person you are interacting with is upset or angry, or may become upset or angry, you do whatever you can to placate them and make them happy. You completely lose focus of yourself, honing in solely on the other person, but the whole process for you feels stressful and automatic. In the workplace, this can look like both being your boss’s favorite, but also feeling taken advantage of by that same boss. You may work extra hours, pick up extra shifts and projects, while not getting compensated additionally because you are a “team player” and “so hard-working.” Your strength lies in your problem-solving, but the way it plays out with others in the workplace makes you angry…and may also be replicating a tumultuous past. This is where seeking support through trauma therapy in Falls Church can help you break free from old survival patterns and begin responding in healthier ways.
Burnout, Resentment and Exhaustion, Oh My! (And also UGH)
Because workplaces function in dysfunctionality, in capitalist systems that favor productivity and profit over wellness and community care, toxic environments persist. If you also grew up in an emotionally immature, dysfunctional family system, your body may respond to some of the same signals and react in some of the same ways: people-pleasing, avoiding confrontation, and working until burnout.
If you had to placate a parent to keep yourself safe, while also working hard and being self-reliant to feel seen and taken care of, then you may operate the same way in a workplace that expects more and more of you while rarely offering you rest…just like a dysfunctional family struggles to offer rest, nurture, and permission.
Your survival response keeps telling you that you are in danger, that you have got to keep going and going, pushing yourself to be perfect, to overachieve, and to work extra hard. But eventually, your body can’t keep up anymore, and it shouldn’t! What if you didn’t push yourself to the extremes, getting resentful at everyone else not intervening on your behalf, in the process?
Childhood Trauma Therapy in Falls Church: Re-setting Your Internal Compass
Childhood trauma therapy at Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy supports you in safely building internal cues and trust so that you can tell when your body feels compelled to enter a survival response. In noticing these cues for threats, you develop skills to slow down, interrupt your threat responses, and take care of yourself in new ways. Instead of bouncing from one extreme (people-pleasing, overachieving, overworking) to another extreme (exhaustion and burnout), a trauma therapist can help you find a way to be connected to yourself in the middle, observing what scares and stresses you and lovingly choosing a different path for yourself. One of the most incredible parts of childhood trauma therapy in Falls Church, VA, is slowly opening up the time and space for you to have that choice, so that every moment and interaction does not have to feel so consumed by urgency and fear any longer.
Get Started In Childhood Trauma Therapy at Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy in Falls Church, VA
Alice Zic, MPH, LCSW | Trauma Therapist & Owner of Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, LLC
At Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy, we provide gentle, trauma-informed care to help you restore safety, reclaim your inner strength, and reconnect with your authentic self. You don’t have to navigate this path alone—support is here for you.
Here’s how to take the first step:
Schedule your free 15-minute consultation call using the link below.
Complete a short pre-consultation questionnaire.
Meet with trauma therapist Alice Zic to explore your goals and needs.
Begin your healing journey with personalized childhood trauma therapy in Falls Church.
Online Childhood Trauma Therapy in Virginia
Online therapy is an excellent way to get started with childhood trauma therapy. As a therapist licensed in Virginia, I am able and trained to work with clients located in and residing throughout the state of Virginia. All you need is your private space, internet, and your device, and you can make online therapy work for you. No stressful traffic—it’s simple and easy! Get started with a free consult call below:
More Therapy Services Offered at Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy
In addition to our work with childhood trauma, Nurturing Willow Psychotherapy provides online counseling for teens struggling with anxiety. Whether you’re addressing the effects of parentification, helping your teen cope with emotional intensity, or working through the lasting impact of neglect, we offer a safe, supportive space for healing. Virtual sessions are available to clients in Connecticut and Virginia, with services expanding soon to Louisiana!
About Alice Zic, Licensed Childhood Trauma Trauma Therapist in Virginia
Alice Zic is a licensed clinical social worker in Connecticut and Virginia. She is a trauma therapist who specializes in helping people-pleasing, perfectionist women heal from childhood trauma and reparent into confident, capable adults. Alice is an attachment-based therapist who is trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. IFS is a trauma-informed and evidence-based modality that supports healing the mind and body. If you would like to learn more about Alice, please click here. If you would like to work with Alice, please click here to schedule your free consult call today.