Originally Posted by
Piperdream 
Minimizing yourself in the relationship and your needs for the sake of the other. Becoming so small that you don’t know if you can or should stand up for yourself and what you want.
Piper the word minimizing is the exact word my therapist uses. It was so accurate in my case that even my attorney didn't get ready to fight for me until she saw my pictures because I was still minimizing with my words. For me I believe the hardest part was putting my needs above the needs of others - not at the expense of others which is codependent behavior. As a child I was always taught to put the other persons needs above your own (southern manners) even at the expense of your own. Its a very hard thing to retrain in my head that I am not selfish by taking care of my needs .