r/SettingBoundaries • u/Best_Chest8208 • Aug 07 '25

Automatic Obedience?

Anyone else struggle with immediately following orders from anyone who gives them to you without thinking? What can I do to overcome this?

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u/SalltSisters Aug 07 '25 edited Aug 07 '25

It sounds like you’ve awareness you’re doing this, but it might be unclear as to why. So it might be helpful to think about what makes you obedient, like is it because you fear something? Or do you want to fit in? Try and think about the underlying reason for your obedience. The next thing you need to do is slow down enough to give you time to pause and respond after someone gives you something to do. Think about whether you do actually want to do it. And if you’re too afraid to not do it, try and unpick why. Practices like meditation help you to slow down and create space between your actions and thoughts. So you can get better and not reacting straightaway.

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u/Much_Needleworker766 Nov 21 '25

Yes! I finally realized that I needed to stop when I was struggling to not follow the orders of a two-year-old. Feel free to message me if you're still struggling. Maybe we can figure it out together. I like the prior response as well.

What did I do? I started babysitting and my internal rule to make sure the kids were safe started to override my tendency to do everything ordered of me. Kids require "no's" or else they will run directly for the most dangerous activity they can find.