7 Surprising Habits Women Develop When They’ve Always Felt Invisible—What Psychology Reveals
This might sound dramatic, but for someone who’s never felt seen, overachievement can become the holy grail of self-worth.
In childhood, if your efforts were overlooked or overshadowed by a sibling, you might grow up believing you need to be outstanding at everything to earn even a flicker of attention.
I once worked with a client who admitted she felt an immense wave of relief only when she got a promotion or an award. Anything less triggered anxiety and a sense of being fundamentally flawed.
Our self-esteem can become entangled with external achievements when our sense of self is undernourished.