anita-

I think you are hitting the nail on the head. My ex would get very angry with me during our relationship over this subject and it caused a lot of stress that I’m reminded of frequently now that we’re broken up. He would notice things in me that I was squashing down (sometimes I feel like I don’t even know what they are now) and I would be very avoidant if he tried to help, because I felt very sensitive to what I perceived as criticism. He in response would feel shut down. Then we would argue.

I feel now that I don’t know what steps to take, or how to approach my internal struggles for myself. I have a tendency to do things for the validation of another person and feel lost on my own sometimes. And often I feel that I can’t see my internal issues as well as other people can.