#306 - Let Them Feel (But Don’t Let Them Treat You Like Sh*t)

#306 - Let Them Feel (But Don’t Let Them Treat You Like Sh*t)

How do people cope with the pressure of holding everyone else together while slowly falling apart themselves? Paige Robinson gets straight to that tension in this punchy "Paige’s Perspective" instalment of Till The Wheels Fall Off, speaking directly to those who are always fixing, smoothing things over, and carrying everyone’s emotions on their backs.

You’ll hear Paige talk about being an empath, a highly sensitive person, and a long-time partner of someone in addiction recovery, and how that mix once left her wiped out for days after other people’s bad moods.

Drawing on her work with spouses and partners of addicts and alcoholics through the Reclaiming You programme, she breaks down the crucial difference between genuine support and what she calls "emotional overfunctioning" – stepping in to fix someone else’s feelings so that you can feel okay. She offers practical language you can use, like, "I can see you’re really upset. I’m here to talk when you can do it respectfully," showing how compassion and boundaries can sit side by side.

There’s a strong focus on parenting too: rather than rescuing kids from every wobble, Paige talks about coaching them through anger, frustration and disappointment so they learn resilience instead of suppression. For anyone affected by addiction, manipulation or gaslighting, her reminder hits hard: you’re allowed to care deeply without becoming an emotional punchbag. Paige also makes it crystal clear that letting people feel doesn’t mean tolerating yelling, disrespect or abuse; emotions are human, harmful behaviour is optional.

This is a down-to-earth, occasionally sweary, very human episode aimed at partners, parents and carers who are tired of living in survival mode and want some tools to reclaim their own peace. It might get you asking: whose feelings are you carrying that were never really yours to hold?