“Don’t Overcompensate: You’re Not Broken, You’re Human”

“Don’t Overcompensate: You’re Not Broken, You’re Human”

There’s something I’ve been sitting with lately. It’s this quiet tendency many of us carry to overcompensate. It’s subtle at times, but deeply exhausting.

Maybe you’ve felt it too. You go above and beyond not because you want to, but because you feel like you have to. You answer emails immediately so no one thinks you’re slacking. You volunteer for every task, show up with a smile when your soul feels heavy, or try to smooth over conflict just to keep the peace.

We do it when we’re trying to make up for something we believe we’re missing. When we think we aren’t enough just as we are, we start working overtime to prove our worth.

The truth is, overcompensating is not strength. It’s survival. And while it may have helped us navigate hard seasons, it’s not a healthy place to stay.

We overcompensate because we’re afraid. Afraid we’re not good enough, smart enough, strong enough. We think if we do more, maybe we’ll finally feel secure. Maybe people will finally accept us. Maybe we’ll finally accept ourselves.

But let me remind you of something that’s easy to forget in the middle of all that striving.

You don’t have to do more to be worthy.
You don’t have to hustle for your value.
You don’t need to over deliver to matter.

You are not a project that needs constant fixing. You are not a problem to solve. You are a person with a heart, a story, and a soul that deserves rest, gentleness, and grace.

I’ve spent parts of my life trying to prove I was capable. Trying to be the reliable one, the strong one, the one who had it all together. But somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn’t doing it for them. I was doing it to quiet that voice in my head that said I had to earn my seat at the table.

That voice was lying.

You are already enough. Not because of what you do, or how much you produce, or how well you perform. You are enough because you are here. You are enough because you exist.

So if you feel the need to do more just to prove something, pause. Breathe. Ask yourself what’s really driving you. Ask yourself if you’re acting from love or from fear. Then give yourself permission to stop carrying what was never yours to hold in the first place.

You’re not behind.
You’re not broken.
You don’t need to keep proving yourself.

Let go of the pressure to overcompensate. You have nothing to prove and everything to live for.

With compassion,
Dr. Nick