codependency symptoms

Are you codependent? How you you know if you have codependency symptoms? Below are some of the typical signs and symptoms a person that could be codependent displays or behaves

Symptoms of Codependency

Codependents feel an uncontrollable urge to help others when they have a problem. Anxiety, guilt, pain are common emotions that a codependent feels when they realize that someone they know have a problem. They believe and act responsible for the other person’s thoughts, feelings, actions and needs. They often become angry when their help is not appreciated or is ineffective. They try their utmost to anticipate the other persons needs and wants and feel let down when they are ignored.

Codependents often try to hide their own needs and wants and tell people that their own problems are insignificant and try to hide them as much as possible. Their main objective is to please others rather than themselves. At the same time, they also feel sad and frustrated that they give a lot to others but get nothing in return.

A typical codependency symptom would be when they find themselves attracted to needy people or find needy people attracted to them.

Codependency symptoms also include feeling pressurized, unappreciated, victimized and often find other people are angry with them. Usually they have strong feelings of low self worth and this low self worth feeling is boosted when they help others with their problems.

Codependents strongly believe that other people cannot like them or love them for who they are and try hard to prove that they are good enough for other people.

Another codependency symptom is to be obsessive about things. They worry about the smallest and the minutest of details and always feel anxious about everything. They have the habit of spying on people, always checking up on them and trying to catch them doing something wrong.

A classic codependency symptom is to abandon whatever they were doing because somebody or something upset them. They often feel why at the end of the day nothing gets done.

Another classic codependent symptom is to be controlling in nature. Codependents fear the loss of control and always feel that they know best about how things or events should turn out. At the same time, they feel controlled by people and events around them and get frustrated and angry. They are apprehensive about letting events happen as they should.

Another symptom of codependency is denial. Codependents ignore problems or completely pretend that the problem does not exist. They delude themselves into thinking that things are not as bad as it seems and that tomorrow will be a better day. They keep themselves very busy, often are workaholics so that they do not have to deal with problems. They constantly lie to themselves and watch silently and without action as problems get worse.

Lack of trust is another symptom. Codependents do not trust themselves or anybody else for that matter. They often feel abandoned. They don’t trust their feelings or thoughts and even end up losing faith and trust in God.

Codependent relationship symptoms typically revolve around low self worth. They believe that the other person is never there for them when they need them. They actively look for relationships that can get them feeling good. They don’t believe that they can take care of themselves. They often will stay in abusive relationships and tolerate abuse thinking that will get the other person to love them. They center their lives around their relationships and other people and often equate pain with love.

Finally codependents can be very irresponsible or very responsible, have a combination of passive and aggressive reactions to responses to people and events. Do they exact opposite of what they feel. As codependency increases you will find them becoming increasingly withdrawn, violent, emotionally and mentally ill, start have eating disorders, become an alcoholic or addicted to other drugs, start to neglect their families and responsibilities.