Too Nice?
Most of us like to think of ourselves as nice people. Certainly, most of us really don't want to be seen as ogres or tyrants, bullying our ways through life.
However, like so many things, an excess of niceness can actually do us harm, both to our own mental health and to our relationships with others. When we always put others first without communicating expectations for reciprocation, we can end up continually settling for half a loaf because we don't want the social risk of asking for all we really want. Worse, we can set ourselves up for a simmering stew of resentment, if always giving way leaves us feeling taken advantage of.
However, like so many things, an excess of niceness can actually do us harm, both to our own mental health and to our relationships with others. When we always put others first without communicating expectations for reciprocation, we can end up continually settling for half a loaf because we don't want the social risk of asking for all we really want. Worse, we can set ourselves up for a simmering stew of resentment, if always giving way leaves us feeling taken advantage of.