Inner Work With MaryAnn Walker: Stop People Pleasing and Start Honoring You!

178: Fear of Abandonment Part 2: Moving From Fear to Love

Sep 18, 2025

Explore the deep-rooted fear of abandonment that drives people to please others excessively. Discover how self-abandonment connects to this fear and learn to distinguish between fear-driven thoughts and love-driven truths. Engaging practices help you shift from fear to love, fostering genuine connections. Prioritizing self-love becomes essential for nurturing healthy relationships. Challenge yourself to recognize fear's influence and take small actions rooted in love, even when it's uncomfortable.

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INSIGHT

Primal Roots Of Abandonment Fear

The fear of abandonment is a primal survival response rooted in early human dependency on community.
Your nervous system can overreact to modern relationship changes by treating them as life-or-death threats.

ANECDOTE

Stepping On A Bee As A Metaphor

MaryAnn recounts stepping barefoot on a bee to show how the body can overreact to a minor threat.
She felt intense discomfort for minutes, then recovered, illustrating disproportionate nervous system responses.

INSIGHT

Relationships Change Without Catastrophe

Relationships naturally come and go and survival rarely hinges on any single connection today.
Personal experience shows breakups are painful yet survivable and life continues to unfold.

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Do you ever feel like no matter how much you give, it’s still not enough to keep people from leaving? If you’ve ever struggled with people pleasing, conflict avoidance, or overgiving, chances are the fear of abandonment has been running the show—and with it, the painful habit of self-abandonment.

In this episode of Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker, we’re diving deep into why self-love is the antidote to the fear of abandonment. When you learn to stop abandoning yourself, you stop clinging to relationships out of fear and start creating authentic connections rooted in love, mutual respect, and trust.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

The hidden connection between self-abandonment and the fear of abandonment.
How your nervous system confuses old survival instincts with present-day relationships.
The difference between fear-driven thoughts and love-driven truths.
Practical examples of how to recognize when you’re acting out of fear—and how to shift into love instead.
Why prioritizing self-love is not selfish, but the foundation for healthy, lasting relationships.

Challenge for the Week

This week, notice where fear is running the show in your relationships. Ask yourself:
👉 Am I acting out of fear of abandonment—or from a place of self-love?
Then take one small action rooted in love for yourself, even if it feels uncomfortable at first.

Work With Me

If you’re ready to break free from people pleasing and start building relationships that feel safe, nourishing, and authentic, I’d love to support you. I currently offer 6- and 12-week coaching packages designed for recovering people pleasers who are ready to stop self-abandoning and start thriving.

Visit www.maryannwalker.life
or email me at maryann@maryannwalker.life
to check availability or join my waitlist today.

Don’t Forget to Subscribe

Make sure you’re subscribed to Inner Work with MaryAnn Walker so you never miss an episode on healing from people pleasing, setting boundaries, and creating authentic love.

Links Mentioned in This Episode

Episode: Am I the Jerk Now? How to Set Boundaries Without Becoming the Villain https://www.buzzsprout.com/2028767/episodes/17472392
Episode: How to Recognize a Trauma Bond & Break Free for Good https://www.buzzsprout.com/2028767/episodes/17654108
Episode: Feeling Invisible & Walked On? Doormat vs Welcome mat Energy https://www.buzzsprout.com/2028767/episodes/17600742
Work with me: Coaching packages for recovering people pleasers