Episode 357: Martyr Complex
Have you ever felt like you need to do more or be more for others even when it hurts you? That feeling is a sign that you may have a martyr complex. Many people in service positions do. It’s one of the qualities that drives us to service in the first place, but it’s time to overcome it.
I did quite a bit of research on this prior to recording this episode because I was fascinated. In a lot of ways martyr complex and victim mentality overlap but they are, in fact, quite different. A victim doesn’t believe they have a way out and that their decisions have been taken from them.
A martyr makes a decision to put others before themselves in all things.
So how do you overcome the need to martyr yourself? Here are the four steps I think you should take:
Communicate
Set proper boundaries
Practice self-compassion
Make time for your own care
Listen in to hear all of my tips and advice and let me know, is there anything I missed? As I was sharing information about the martyr complex, did you identify with it at all?
“You are not required to set yourself on fire to keep other people warm.”
In this episode:
[01:49] I share the definition of martyr complex.
[04:05] I discuss what I found when I researched this.
[06:40] Martyr complex can get deeply embedded into our lives.
[09:39] The first step to overcoming the martyr complex is communication.
[11:42] Setting boundaries is overcoming tip number two.
[14:01] Tip number three is self-compassion.
[16:12] #4, make time for your own care.
[18:25] Thank you for listening!
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