From a book...

[zenren]

“Often we do not feel in charge of our lives. We feel helpless and do not assert ourselves in our relationships; we fail to establish boundaries and express our needs. Our self-esteem often depends on how we think other people will judge us. To feel good about ourselves or to be accepted, we constantly seek the approval of others. Our low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence keep us from taking risks; we often feel stuck.

In many cases life has become a treadmill that is moving faster than we can handle. Feeling pressured, we have a difficult time slowing down or taking time for ourselves. We continually tell ourselves that we have to hurry through various tasks, even the simplest ones.”

- Embrace the Fear by Judith Bemis