You’re Not Alone: How to Deal with Being Taken Advantage of. For years, part of my introduction when making friends or just meeting new people, would be to tell them that I wore my heart on my sleeve, because, in fact, I did. I have always been an open and honest person, It has helped me to make friends quickly.
I have never been shy to show my emotions. It’s important to be yourself when getting to know someone.
My Story
In the past my openness and honesty helped me build strong friendship bonds. I’m grateful for the friends who have accepted me for who I am, heart on my sleeve and all. Although, when I relocated to Florida I lost most of those friendships. Disconnections, they may not have been that strong after all. Always found myself reaching out to others, taking things personal when they wouldn’t include me in their activities, feeling like I didn’t belong.
Always wanting to be seen as authentic and genuine. In showing my vulnerability people took advantage of me for most of my life. My openness and honesty have been exploited by others as well. My vulnerability has been a source of weakness for me for most of my life. Betrayed by others because I am too trusting. It has now become very important to be cautious about who I show my vulnerability to.
If you have also been taken advantage of in the past, I encourage you to read on. First I am very sorry that you were taken advantage of in the past. It’s not your fault. You are valuable, and you deserve respect.
It’s also important to remember that it’s okay to wear your heart on your sleeve. It’s a strength, not a weakness. It speaks to your inner strength and your commitment to living an authentic life.
Allow yourself to feel your emotions
It’s okay to not be okay. The feelings of anger, hurt and betrayal are all valid. The feelings of anger, hurt and betrayal are all valid. Sometimes we don’t even talk about it to others for being ashamed of letting others in on what happened to us. Now protective of our feelings. Self Reflection. Call your bad (s). Reflect on the situation.
What happened? Missed flags? What can be learned from this experience?
Set new boundaries. It’s important to set boundaries with the person who took advantage of you if you have decided to let them stay in your life. For others, this may mean limiting your contact with them or ending the relationship altogether.
Forgive yourself. It’s important to remember that it’s not your fault that you were taken advantage of. You are not a victim, but a survivor.
Consider being mindful of who you show your vulnerability to moving forward
Taking good care of yourself by getting enough sleep and exercising regularly helps us to feel better physically and emotionally. Spend time doing things you enjoy. Anytime we are doing what we like to do we feel more relaxed and unbothered. Some people can reconnect with others and spend time with loved ones with no problem, other people need more time to heal and prefer to self isolate to do more inner work and self reflection. Allow time to do what it does. But most importantly, Be patient.
You’re Not Alone: How to Deal with Being Taken Advantage of