Are You Mad at Me?

<b>From psychotherapist and social media star Meg Josephson, a groundbreaking “cure for chronic people-pleasing” (Adam Grant, #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author) that explores the common survival instinct called <i>fawning</i> and offers “explanations, comfort, and best of all, solutions” (Christie Tate, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author).</b><br /><br />Are you...<br /><br />- Constantly worried about what people think of you, if they like you, if they’re mad at you?<br />- Anxious, a perfectionist, or an overachiever?<br />- Always overextending yourself (and then resentful)?<br />- Someone who avoids conflict at all costs?<br />- Fearful of getting into trouble or being seen as “bad”?<br />- Silencing your needs for the comfort and happiness of everyone else?<br />- Prone to overexplain or over apologize?<br />- Eternally obsessing over why someone texted with a period instead of an exclamation point?<br /><br />Psychotherapist Meg Josephson is here to show you that people-pleasing is not a personality trait. It’s a common survival mechanism known as “fawning”: an instinct often learned in childhood to become more appealing to a perceived threat in order to feel safe. Yet many people are stuck in this way of being for their whole lives. <i>Are You Mad at Me?</i> weaves Josephson’s own moving story with that of fascinating client stories and thought-provoking exercises to show you how to:<br /><br />- Identify all the roles you might play—from peacekeeper to performer to caretaker to lone wolf to perfectionist to chameleon—that keep you far from yourself.<br />- Stop fearing your thoughts and emotions, even if they’re unpleasant.<br />- Rethink conflict and boundaries as an opening for deeper connection.<br />- Practice “leaning back” in relationships.<br />- Recognize when people-pleasing is actually necessary (with your chaotic boss) and when it’s not (with your close friends) and stop self-loathing when you slip into old patterns.<br />- Shift away from the familiar chaos, anxiety, and resentment you’re used to as you move closer to yourself and a life that no longer depletes you—but brings <i>you<i></i> joy.<br /><br />With Josephson’s “lucid prose and smart mix of clinical expertise, personal disclosure, and pertinent case studies” (<i>Publishers Weekly</i>), <i>Are You Mad at Me?</i> will help you shed the behaviors that are keeping you stuck in the past so that you can live in your most authentic present.</i>