As an adult, it might be difficult for you to turn this mindset off, even when it causes stress or makes you unhappy. Being forced into a caretaking role at an early age, you might not have been able to really develop self-care skills and don’t know how to prioritize yourself. This can lead to feeling resentful, unsatisfied, and lonely in your relationships.

You might be held to higher standards of behavior and achievement, and feel pressure to excel in school, extracurricular activities, relationships and finances. This can also lead to feelings of responsibility for your siblings' successes and failures, and a sense of guilt if you make mistakes.

Some things the eldest daughters struggle with:

• Seeking or accepting help: you might feel like you have to do everything yourself.

• Setting healthy boundaries: you might feel under obligation to say yes, even when you want to say no.

• Speaking up about their emotions or opinions: because you want to keep the peace, you don’t say what’s on your mind or share your feelings; instead you ‘go with the flow’.

• Self-care and self-love: you might spend all your emotional energy taking care of others, that you don’t have any left for yourself; or, you feel self-love is selfish.

I am an eldest daughter, and I know how hard this can be. It is lonely, challenging and changes the way you feel about yourself and your life.

But, what I learned is:

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Just because you were born as an eldest daughter does not mean that you have to be unhappy in life, and always put others first. You deserve the same happiness as everyone else.

I invite you to sign up for the waitlist, for this 3-part masterclass on how to manage and overcome “Eldest Daughter Syndrome”. You will receive more details through email once you sign up for the waitlist.

*Please note: this session is led by a therapist with insights, education and tools you can use, but this is not therapy or a replacement for medical/therapeutic advice or treatment.