Sometimes we accept the love we think we deserve and we let manipulators into our lives and hearts. Sound familiar? Maybe you’re a true romantic who goes above and beyond for your S.O. or maybe you’re a ride or die friend who’s loyal to a fault. That doesn’t mean people should expect things from you. Are you always being taken for granted? Here are 10 reasons why this might be happening.
- You’re A People-Pleaser. You want everyone to be happy and you can’t handle it when people dislike you. That’s why you ignore your own feelings and put other people first. The truth is, you’re just too nice. You agree with everyone and you never speak up when you’re upset or sad. Most of the time, people don’t even know they’re taking you for granted. How can they when you never speak up?
- You Pay For Affection. You’re under the impression that the more you give, the more people will like you. Don’t get us wrong, it’s important to be generous. But people don’t respect your generosity, and that’s because you give for no reason and to people who don’t deserve it. You can’t pay for affection and love! If people only like you because you do things for them, they’re not the kind of people you should be doing things for.
- You’re Incredibly Empathetic. Being empathetic is one of your best qualities but it’s also one of your worst. Putting yourself into someone else’s shoes forces you to make decisions on their behalf instead of thinking of yourself. Once again, it’s a great quality, but it can make things challenging. The more you worry about how someone might react to your words, the less likely you are to speak your mind.
- You Don’t Set Boundaries. Once a line is crossed, it’s almost impossible to go back. This is why setting boundaries is such a crucial part of maintaining a healthy relationship. If you allow someone to curse at you once, chances are they’ll keep doing it. If you allow a guy to sleep with you and not call the next day, chances are he’ll keep doing it. It’s so easy to be taken for granted when you don’t set and stand by boundaries.
- You Can’t Say no. You want people to love you, and that’s why you say yes to everything. You don’t have FOMO, you just want everyone to think you’re cool and fun. So, you say yes to every dinner invite and you take on additional projects at work. You help your friends clean their homes and you’re always down for a happy hour after work even when you’re not.
- You’re Afraid Of Speaking Up. You’re constantly being taken for granted because you’re afraid of communicating your thoughts. Loud personalities make you anxious and you’d rather someone scream at you than you scream at them. You might think it’s easier to be passive, but it’s not. Sooner or later you’ll have to stand up for yourself unless you want to always be taken for granted.
- You Want To Feel Needed. You love feeling appreciated by someone else, and that’s why you work so hard to make other people happy. You treat your partner and friends better than you treat yourself because you want to feel needed. You want them to feel lucky to have you in their lives. Unfortunately, hard work doesn’t always make people appreciate you more. It can make them take you for granted, especially when you’re the only one putting in the work.
- You Have Low Expectations. Your standards are incredibly low. You expect almost nothing out of people, and that’s why you’re constantly surrounded by assholes and jerks. Your friends and significant others don’t treat you with respect because you’ve never required them to. Why? Because deep down you don’t really think anyone should treat you with respect.
- You’re Afraid Of Being Alone. You don’t want to be at odds with anyone. And that’s because you’re worried they’ll hate you and stop being your friend. It sounds childish but it’s true, right? The thing is, that fear is what’s holding you back. You’re so afraid of being alone, that you let people take advantage of you and treat you poorly. The second you decide to choose yourself, you’ll feel freer.
- You Ignore The Signs. There are people in your life right now who are taking advantage of you. You know this, so why haven’t you done anything about it? Stop ignoring the signs and lying to yourself: delete these people from your life. Anyone who’s having you do things you don’t want to do is taking you for granted and doesn’t deserve your time or generosity.
