Jahmaal Marshall: Trauma Responses on Autopilot Lead to Burnout
May 19, 2024
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Certified counselor Jahmaal Marshall discusses childhood trauma's link to burnout, the impact of people-pleasing behaviors, and setting boundaries. Exploring giving without expectations and expressing gratitude, he shares personal insights on breaking free from codependency and prioritizing self-care for burnout recovery.
Childhood trauma can lead to behavior patterns rooted in a need for control and approval.
Perfectionism and fear of rejection can hinder boundary setting and work-life balance.
Recognizing codependent behaviors and establishing healthy boundaries are crucial for personal well-being.
Deep dives
Unfried Group Coaching Program Invitation
Join the Unfried group coaching program for recovering people, pleasers who are feeling burned out and struggling to make a change. Two new groups starting on June 3rd, offering support to get your energy back and make lasting changes to prevent future burnout. Apply at bit.ly/unfried to start your recovery journey.
Impact of Childhood Trauma on Behavior
Childhood trauma, such as abuse and neglect, can shape behavior patterns in adulthood. Growing up in an abusive household can lead to a need for control and perfectionism to navigate unpredictable and unsafe environments. The need for approval and fear of rejection from caregivers can result in becoming a chameleon, excelling externally while struggling internally.
Setting Boundaries and Fear of Delegation
Fear of rejection and perfectionism can lead to difficulties in setting boundaries. The reluctance to delegate tasks or allow others to take responsibility stems from a scarcity mindset and a need for control. By addressing childhood traumas and underlying fears, individuals can learn to prioritize self-care and establish healthy boundaries for better work-life balance.
Dealing with Perfectionism in Leadership
Perfectionism and burnout are closely tied, especially in leadership roles. The drive for excellence and fear of failure can lead to overworking, reluctance to delegate tasks, and reluctance to accept help from others. Recognizing the patterns of perfectionism and addressing the underlying fear of rejection is crucial for effective leadership and personal well-being.
Effect of Codependency on Relationships
Codependency can stem from childhood trauma, creating patterns of seeking validation and approval from others to feel safe. Codependent behaviors can manifest as an inability to delegate, fear of expressing needs, and an excessive focus on meeting others' expectations. Addressing codependency requires recognizing personal needs and establishing healthy boundaries in relationships.
“Are you an introvert or just into hurt?” asks Jahmaal Marshall, certified counselor and founder of Listen Then Speak LLC and the podcast of the same name. Many of us develop behavior and personae, he explains, around a need to protect ourselves from rejection, and we carry these into our personal and professional adult lives. Growing up with a severely addicted father, Jahmaal became as he calls it, “the classic chameleon,” overachieving in school and later at work, fulfilling everyone’s needs in an effort not to cause problems. Today on FRIED, he and Cait talk about the connection between childhood trauma and burnout, the resentment that can build up in us when we feel like we are giving with no reciprocation and the resentment we can experience from others when we set boundaries for ourselves.
When we give with the expectation of receiving in return, we may think we’re being generous when actually we are assuming others’ needs, or acting from our own neediness. We can also close ourselves off to the many unexpected ways in which people can show their gratitude.
Join today’s discussion to find out what happened when Jahmaal drew a line in the sand at work, and the important lesson he learned.
Quotes
“I just wanted someone to say, ‘You’ve done well.’ Not that my mom didn’t do those things, but it’s something about when a dad speaks into his son’s life and calls the man out of him. I didn’t have that as a little boy. So, I went through most of my professional life basically searching for that.” (5:09 | Jahmaal Marshall)
“My excellence, my quote-unquote high performance, was just a trauma response of a fear of rejection. I did not want to be rejected. So, it’s not that I didn’t know how to say no, I refused. Let’s key in on that word: I refused to say no, because I wanted to protect myself.” (8:09 | Jahmaal Marshall)
“That expectation we have and that desire to give and receive, we’ve even been taught that—I’m a Christian— we’ve been taught that in faith-based spaces, if you give you’ll receive. That’s not always the case. It actually already puts you in the place of a false motive of life is like a genie in a bottle that I can just rub. And if I rub it like this, something’s going to pop out, and this is going to be my return on the investment I made.” (17:10 | Jahmaal Marshall)
“Are you an introvert or are you just into hurt? Do you have hurt and pain that is not processed that is causing you to turtle your way through life to play it safe. There are people who are actually introverts, but you have a lot of people who are extroverts masquerading as an introvert to protect themselves from pain that has not been processed.” (29:02 | Jahmaal Marshall)