Embedded Files
Get Started!
This belief doesn’t just question people’s intentions — it assumes the worst.
“I Am Being Used” forms when your kindness, loyalty, or effort has been taken for granted — often repeatedly.
Eventually, the equation becomes simple: If I give, I lose. If I trust, I get taken. And anger becomes your shield.
How It Manifests in Your Life:
How It Manifests in Your Life:
You feel guarded or skeptical when others ask for support
You often suspect people are only nice when they want something
You struggle to say yes without feeling resentful — or say no without guilt
You feel like the “go-to person” for everyone — but rarely get the same in return
You assume generosity = weakness and protect your energy with sharpness or distance
Common Emotional Triggers:
Common Emotional Triggers:
Being asked for help when you’re already burned out
Watching others take without reciprocating
Feeling unseen or unappreciated after you’ve contributed
Having your boundaries pushed or ignored
Realizing others rely on you — but don’t show up when you need them
What Therapy Does to Break the Cycle:
What Therapy Does to Break the Cycle:
“I Am Being Used” often develops from real emotional exploitation. But when it becomes a default lens, it poisons even safe relationships.
You start withholding, snapping, or isolating — not because you’re selfish, but because you’re exhausted from feeling like a resource.
Through Pattern Reconditioning, we:
Surface the early dynamics where giving was never safe or mutual
Rewire the guilt, resentment, and shutdown that get tangled up in reciprocity
Help you build a nervous system that can give and receive — without fear of being drained, tricked, or erased
You’re allowed to give without being used. And you’re allowed to stop giving when it’s not right.
Related Belief Expressions:
Related Belief Expressions:
“People only reach out when they need something”
“I’m just a means to an end”
“If I didn’t offer, no one would care”
“They don’t actually value me — just what I provide”
“If I stop giving, I’ll be discarded”
Develops Into:
Develops Into:
Cynicism, guardedness, and chronic mistrust
Rage masked as independence
Burnout from constant overgiving
Emotional walls in even healthy relationships
Passive-aggressive withdrawal
Emotional Regulation: The Key to Rewiring the Loop
Emotional Regulation: The Key to Rewiring the Loop
This belief teaches your body to see all connection as extraction.
We help you rewire that — so generosity doesn’t feel like self-sacrifice, and boundaries don’t have to come with backlash.
Explore the Therapy Path for This Belief
Explore the Therapy Path for This Belief
Want to see how this belief shows up in real life — and how we treat it at ShiftGrit?
👉 View the Core Belief page →
Want to Break Free from “I Am Being Used”?
Want to Break Free from “I Am Being Used”?
Therapy can help you build trust without naivety, boundaries without guilt, and relationships without the weight of fear or obligation.
You’re not a transaction. You’re a human being.
Page updated
Report abuse