E135: Are You the Overfunctioner or the Underfunctioner? How to Identify Your Role and Change Your First Move episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 22, 2026 · 10 MIN

E135: Are You the Overfunctioner or the Underfunctioner? How to Identify Your Role and Change Your First Move

from Reclaiming Me: Heal Your Childhood Attachment Wounds, People Pleasing, and Complex PTSD for Women

Do you find yourself doing more, managing more, worrying more, planning more, while someone else in your life seems to do less? Or are you the one who steps back while someone else picks up the slack? Either way, you're in a dance. And this midweek reframe gives you the first practical step toward changing it.Drawing from Harriet Lerner's framework of overfunctioning and underfunctioning in The Dance of Anger, this episode helps you identify which role you're playing in your most significant relationships and what your specific first move looks like depending on which one you are.You'll leave with a clear picture of your relational role and one concrete action you can take this week to begin shifting the pattern, without blowing up the relationship in the process.If today's episode resonated, please take a moment to rate and review Reclaiming Me wherever you listen. It genuinely helps more people find this content. And if you have a question you'd like answered, I am taking listener questions for one more month for a two-part Ask Me Anything episode on complex PTSD. All the ways to reach me are in the show notes. I would love to hear from you.RESOURCES MENTIONED• The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner• Follow Cindy on Instagram: @cindypaynerooted• Submit your CPTSD question: [email protected] with Cindy:Ready for deeper support? Take the free people-pleasing quiz, explore therapy or book a consultation here: cindypayne.comInstagram: @cindypaynerootedemail: [email protected] podcast supports women healing trauma, attachment wounds, codependency, anxiety, perfectionism, people pleasing, overthinking, and rebuilding self-worth, self-trust, boundaries, and confidence through trauma-informed guidance.Through honest, grounded conversations, it explores the real human experience of growth and leadership, the tension between purpose and rest, boundaries and connection, and how choosing awareness and compassion creates a more aligned and authentic life.

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E135: Are You the Overfunctioner or the Underfunctioner? How to Identify Your Role and Change Your First Move

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