64: Earning Love

A Life, Folded · Mar 24, 2026 · 13m

For many of us, growing up with problematic family dynamics or being partnered with emotionally abusive individuals has caused us to become people pleasers. These relationships have left us feeling like there is something inherently wrong with us and we are unlovable. We learned, perhaps at a very young age, that we had to audition or work really hard to earn love. Over time, we might even begin to view healthy partners as boring or that their behavior toward us is not really love, because it isn't challenging. But as we work on our healing, we will desire to show up as our true selves, and…