272. You Didn't Lose Yourself. You Abandoned Yourself to Survive. (Here's the Difference)

There's a reframe in this episode that changes everything about how you find your way back to yourself — and it starts with one word.Most women say they lost themselves. But losing something is an accident. What actually happened is more specific, more honest, and ultimately more hopeful than that. You abandoned yourself. In thousands of small moments, over years, in ways that made complete sense at the time. You overrode what you felt. You silenced what was true. You made yourself smaller to stay connected, keep the peace, and belong in relationships where love felt conditional.And your nervous system learned that pattern so thoroughly that it now happens automatically — before you even realize you've left yourself behind.In this episode, Dr. Kelly Kessler breaks down exactly what self-abandonment looks like in a real woman's real life, why trying harder to change it keeps you stuck, and what actually creates the shift — starting with getting honest about exactly where you're still doing it.You'll walk away with:The reframe that changes how you understand self-abandonmentSpecific real-life examples that will make you say "that's exactly me"Why willpower alone will never break this patternA simple somatic practice to use the next time you feel yourself leavingClarity on where to actually focus your energyIf you want to know specifically where self-abandonment is still running in your life, take the free Self-Abandonment Audit. Five minutes. Real clarity. No fluff. Link below.🔗 Self-Abandonment Audit: https://drkellykessler.com/selfaudit