Image: 4 panels of Gru (middle-age man from Despicable Me movie) presenting a plan on a canvas.
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1: learn from your history of getting taken advantage of
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2: start setting boundaries with people
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3: “why are you so mean and angry now?”
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4: man looks at canvas with a concerned expression “why are you so mean and angry now?”
A parent of mine is struggling with this mindset currently. For your own mental health, it’s important to frame this type of interaction correctly.
There will always be people who feel entitled to your emotional or physical labor. The framing in the meme, while relatable, can lead to a frustration spiral. Bad faith responses to boundary setting should be expected and factored in up-front. The correct response is to stand by your decision without being drawn into a debate on it. Eventually the other party will either move on or give up.