Situation · Yourself
“I always end up rescuing people”
What could be going on
Compulsively rescues: Compulsive rescuing fits; check how you feel when nobody needs you.
Codependency: Worth organised around others' problems fits; check whether you neglect yourself.
Drama triangle (persecutor, victim, rescuer): The Rescuer role fits; check whether you later feel used and turn resentful.
Self-sacrifice schema: Putting others' needs first to avoid guilt fits; check what happens when you stop.
Parentification: Fits if you cared for a parent or siblings as a child.
Communal narcissism: Fits if being seen as caring matters more than the help itself.
Questions to carry
- With the last person I rescued, what did they ask for, and what did I offer unasked?
- How do I feel when nobody around me needs rescuing, and what do I do with myself?
Also said as
- I attract broken people and try to fix them
- my husband can't stop saving everyone
- I'm everyone's therapist
- I feel responsible for fixing my friends
- I always date projects
- I always try to save people