Empower Your Journey to Recovery
Are You Becoming Everyone’s Emotional Dumping Ground
How do you stop carrying other people’s chaos and start protecting your energy?
What Being an Emotional Dumping Ground Looks Like
For years, I was the “strong one.”
I was the one people called during a crisis. I was the one who held it all together, no matter how tired, stressed, or emotionally wrung out I felt inside.
I thought it made me a better therapist, friend, and mum.
But really, I’d become everyone’s emotional dumping ground.
And I didn’t even realise it until I hit a wall.
It’s not just the late-night messages.
It’s the way people vent at you without asking how you are.
It’s how friends feel lighter after a call… but you feel heavier.
It’s the constant emotional energy drain, and the silent expectation that you’ll always be okay.
It’s subtle. It’s chronic. And it’s exhausting.
Exploring Eating Disorders and Their Impact
Where It Comes From (Wounded Healer Insight)
For a lot of therapists and empaths, this pattern starts young.
You learn to read a room before you learn to read a book.
You learn to fix, please, and rescue… because deep down, you know what it feels like to be the one who’s not okay.
I didn’t want anyone to feel the hurt I’d once carried.
So I made myself available, emotionally, mentally, and energetically.
But at what cost?
how to manage being a dumping ground for someone's emotions
The Wake-Up Call
What I Do Differently Now
Eventually, I realised:
No one was checking in on me.
And I had built a life where I was always holding space, but never being held.
I felt emotionally numb, irritable, and tired in a way that rest couldn’t fix.
That’s when I recognised it for what it was: compassion fatigue.
And it forced me to make a change.
➔ I have clear time boundaries, no more phone calls after a set time
➔ I let people know, gently, that they need their own therapist
➔ I protect my weekends like my nervous system depends on it (because it does)
➔ Most importantly, I stopped proving my worth through availability
Boundaries are not rejection.
They’re self-respect.
how to manage being a dumping ground for someone's emotions
Tips for Reclaiming Your Energy
If you’re constantly being leaned on, start here:
1. Check in with your own emotions before responding to others
If you’re already drained, it’s okay to say, “Can we talk another time?”
2. Practice saying “I can’t hold this right now” without guilt
You’re not a therapist 24/7, especially outside the therapy room.
3. Build recovery time into your week
Solitude, nature, movement, whatever helps you return to yourself.
4. Notice your people-pleasing patterns
Ask: Am I doing this out of love or fear that I won’t be loved if I don’t?
Final Thought
You’re not broken for needing rest.
You’re not selfish for setting boundaries.
You’re not cold for saying, “This is too much for me.”
You’re human. You’re allowed to protect your energy.
You’re allowed to be held, too.
how to manage being a dumping ground for someone's emotions
Your First Steps to Healing
Becky Stone
I’m Becky Stone, a trauma-informed eating disorder therapist based in Canterbury. I specialise in supporting empaths, neurodivergent clients, and therapists who are tired of carrying it all. If you’ve spent your life holding space for others, it’s time to make space for you.
