Growing up with emotionally immature parents can shape how you see yourself, relate to others, and handle stress well into adulthood. Many adult children of emotionally immature parents describe feeling hyper-responsible, emotionally neglected, or chronically “not enough.” Even when you understand where these patterns come from, your nervous system may still react as if you are back in those early family dynamics.

Making medication decisions during motherhood particularly about mental health can feel scary and overwhelming. There is so much information out there - what is right? By definition motherhood means there is a little one to also consider - the stakes of making the right decision feel very high. And what does taking psychiatric medication during motherhood even mean? Often moms fear deep down that this makes them a bad or broken mom. They should be happy. They should be better. They just need to try harder. Taking medication can feel like admitting defeat or that there is something wrong with them. 

Many high-achieving women describe themselves as caring, thoughtful, supportive, and deeply empathetic. You are the friend who remembers birthdays, the coworker who notices when someone is struggling, the partner who anticipates needs, and the daughter who manages family dynamics.

Overfunctioning is one of the most common and exhausting patterns I see in high-achieving women, especially those who grew up with emotionally immature parents. You become the one who holds everything together. You anticipate needs before anyone voices them. You fix problems before others even notice there is an issue. You give more than you receive. And somewhere along the way, you lose yourself in the process.

Many high-achieving women carry a quiet but powerful feeling that they are never doing enough, never calm enough, never present enough, and never successful enough. Even when life looks polished and put together from the outside, the internal experience often feels heavy, pressured, or tinged with self-doubt.