Natascia Papaikonomou, Clinical Psychologist

27/06/2025

Credits to Vex King

23/06/2025

Purpose, control, and social support can be difference-makers.

05/06/2025

05/06/2025

3. The parent's needs come first.

05/06/2025

For many compassionate folks (sometimes called codependent or people-pleasing), our generous hearts are easily taken advantage of.

Because there’s a lot of people out there who are entirely self-focused.

As in, they think YOU should be focused on them that way, too.

And anytime you aren’t, they genuinely think you are doing them wrong.

Even while what’s actually happening is the opposite. 💔

But if we don’t know our true boundaries, we may hear their complaints and feel terrible about how we’ve made them upset.

It must be our fault, right?

So we do what is needed to make it work.

Which is simple, really:
☹️ Stay small,
😮‍💨 Walk on eggshells,
😥 Focus on their comfort,
😶 Don’t have needs,
🤐 And, above all, never complain about any of the above.

And all of this is awful for our physical, mental, and emotional health.

But that’s the only way the relationship is able to work.

So we do it.

Because until we finally find our *own* boundaries, it’s hard to know what else to do.

❤️
Molly

Ready to find your own boundaries?

There is a way (and it’s easier than you think)!

Get details about my Boundaries Breakthrough MiniCourse here:

Https://boundaried.com/breakthrough ✨

05/06/2025

Yay, winning… 🥴 What were your top “prizes?” (Share in the comments). Also, have you noticed?

This people-pleasing game sucks. 💔

Yet for compassionate folks, until we find our boundaries, we have no idea how to quit playing it.

Thankfully, we aren’t stuck (even though it can feel like it).

Because boundaries are NOT something far away, impossible or too hard.

Our boundaries are inside of us, sparkling and true, and eager for us to find them.

❤️
Molly

PS - When you’re ready to discover your boundaries, I got you. 💕

Https://boundaried.com/breakthrough ✨

05/06/2025

2. The mother/partner identity blur.

02/05/2025

🖤

02/05/2025

Being in a relationship with someone who feels *entitled* to you is a recipe for misery and suffering, ESPECIALLY when you have a giving and generous heart.

By the way, giving is a good thing inside of a healthy dynamic — but it’s typcally reciprocal in nature, and filled with a spirit of gratitude and appreciation.

Not so when things are toxic. 💔

Entitlement is a common boundary violation that causes untold problems in human relationships (macro and micro).

For compassionate and loving people, this is extra complicated…because we WANT to give!

But without a strong sense of our boundaries, we often struggle to protect ourselves against entitled demands and unbalanced expectations.

We aren’t sure where the lines are (what is and is NOT our responsibility, anyway?) or why the dynamic is becoming so painful and confusing.

So we try to solve the problem by helping, fixing, and giving even MORE.

(Isn’t that what usually solves most problems)?

Only, in this case, things just keep feeling worse and worse…

And we are abandoning ourselves in the process.

❤️
Molly
Therapist turned boundaries guide

If this cartoon describes you, I see you and you are not alone. ❤️‍🩹

There is hope.

Boundaries are the way. ✨

If help with this is something you’d love, I recommend starting out with my mini-course,
The Boundaries Breakthrough.

Currently it’s available for only $19

I would love to help you. 💕

Details right here:
Https://boundaried.com/breakthrough 🦋

02/05/2025

When compassionate people care, they’ll give up almost everything if they think it will help the other person.

Even things that should never be given.

Here’s a boundaries tip that can help.

It’s okay to compromise in a relationship.

But when compromise is always one-sided…or requires you to abandon yourself?

That’s not compromise.

❤️
Molly
Therapist turned Boundaries Guide

For more help with this, you might love my new offering, The Boundaries Breakthrough Mini-Course!

5 videos, 1 beautiful journaling companion, and lifetime access for $19

Https://boundaried.com/breakthrough 💛

01/05/2025

For compassionate people, keeping-the-people-pleased often becomes a way of life, one that hurts us terribly. 💔

Only, we don’t know how to stop it.

So, since self-worth isn’t exactly our strong suit, we will often beat ourselves up over it.

Critical and harsh, we may call ourselves names — codependent, people-pleaser, etc (which just makes it worse).

May I offer you a self-compassion boundary that can help?

Science tells us that children’s psychological needs (emotional safety, affection, approval) are just as important as getting their basic physical needs met.

That means when we’re little, kids born with the ability to tune into others will learn to do whatever they gotta do to survive.

So if keeping-the-people-works to meet our needs, so be it.

Only, there’s one problem.

Keeping-the-people-pleased is what our brain then wired in as the rules for relating with ourselves and the people around us.

Later, as adults, we are told this behavior is often called “people-pleasing” or “codependency.”

Wait, what?

We feel confused, ashamed, and even pathologized. ☹️

How is it that these same strategies that kept us safe (or at least “safer”) are now a defect?

Ugh.

We know we need to change. But…how?

We don’t know where the healthy boundary lines are.

(We never did).

We don’t even really know who we are, to be honest.

So where do we begin?

The first thing we can do is begin to give ourselves a bit of self-compassion.

Your earlier adaptive strategies were NOT a pathology.

They were brilliant adaptations for the world you found yourself in.

Your beautiful brain did a good job getting you here. Give it gratitude. 🧠💕

And now…it’s time to level up.

❤️
Molly
Counselor-turned-boundaries-guide

PS. When you are ready to release this fear-based way of living, I would love to help you.

A brand new love-based paradigm is just around the corner. And it’s sooo doable!

I can’t wait to show you the way!

Start here:
Https://boundaried.com/breakthrough

The Boundaries Breakthrough Mini-Course. Lifelong access. Just $19. 🔥