Type C Toolbox: Recent Episodes
Dr. Kore Glied and Anna White
Welcome to Type C Toolbox! We are clinical psychologist Dr. Kore Glied and wellness entrepreneur Anna White. We are here to educate people about the Type C personality, which is pathological niceness, and help people develop healthier ways of living. In our podcast, we will be diving into stories from Anna's Type C past and give our listeners tools and strategies on how to better handle situations like hers.
On this episode, we talk to renowned psychologist Dr. Diana Hill about her expertise in psychological flexibility and holistic wellness. She makes so many important points for Type C’ers about becoming more connected to our bodies, learning how to better focus our attention and energy, and practicing self compassion. Resources discussed on this episode include:
- www.drdianahill.com
- The Self Compassion Daily Journal and The ACT Daily Journal
- Wise Effort podcast
Psychotherapist Kate Nichols is back on the podcast to talk about difficult, challenging, "toxic" people. We talk about passive-aggressiveness, dishonesty/gaslighting, and narcissism - and how excessively nice Type C'ers can navigate relationships with these difficult personality types.
Resources discussed in today's episode include:
- Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment by Amir Levine, M.D. and Rachel S.F. Heller, M.A.
- Wellness Together - www.wellnesstogether.org
- www.cyclebreakerstherapy.com
In today's episode, we talk to Dr. Debbie Sorensen, author of ACT for Burnout. Debbie is a clinical psychologist based Denver, Colorado where she specializes in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). She is also a co-host of one of our favorite podcasts, Psychologists Off The Clock.
Resources mentioned on today's episode include:
- Dr. Sorensen's books ACT for Burnout and the ACT Daily Journal
- The Burnout Challenge by Christina Maslach
- Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price, Ph.D.
- Rest is The Resistance by Tricia Hersey
- Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
- drdebbiesorenson.com
- Psychologists Off the Clock podcast
- Instagram @drdebbiesorenson and @offtheclockpsych
Today’s episode features Ned Johnson, an author, speaker, and the founder of PrepMatters, an educational company providing academic tutoring, educational planning and standardized test prep. His advice for Type C parents is priceless – we often feel overly responsible for our children and he outlines terrific strategies for letting go.
- Resources discussed on today’s episode: The Self Driven Child and What Do You Say? byWilliam Stixrud, Ph.D and Ned Johnson
- Ned’s websites, www.thenedjohnson.com and www.prepmatters.com
- Ned’s viral TikTok video
- The Yerkes-Dodson Law
On today's episode, we talk all about pelvic health with Molly Bachmann, Doctor of Physical Therapy with a specialty in the pelvic floor. She shares her incredible knowledge of this too-often overlooked area of health - across the gender spectrum. Type C'ers will benefit from her amazing perspective and guidance!
Resources mentioned on this episode:
- Pelvic Pain Explained by Elizabeth H. Akincilar and Stephanie A. Prendergast
- What Looks Like Bravery by Laurel Braitman
This episode captures our Instagram Live conversation with naturopathic doctor Lori Bouchard who is an expert in the metabolic approach to cancer. We talk at length about her holistic process and how Type C'ers can take a preventative approach to health. Resources mentioned include:
- Cancer Doesn’t Own You and Live Longer and Stronger with Breast Cancer by Dr. Lori Bouchard
- Love Medicine and Miracles by Dr. Bernie Siegel
- The Metabolic Approach to Cancer by Dr. Nasha Winters
- A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson
- Environmental Working Group website, ewg.org
- Keto Mojo website for anti-inflammatory recipes, keto-mojo.com
For Valentine’s Day, we had a fantastic conversation with relationship expert and sex therapist Dr. Lee Phillips on Instagram Live which we recorded for this episode. We cover Type C communication and sex issues in hetero and LGBTQIA+ couples as well as within the chronic pain/chronic illness community. Dr. Lee offers great guidance and is a wonderful speaker!
The holidays are difficult for many people for many reasons - most of us forget from year to year how challenging this time of year can be. We go into the holiday season with some level of excitement and then experience painful reminders of why holidays are not all wine and roses. On this episode, we discuss some common holiday difficulties and share a little guidance.
Self care often takes a backseat during the holidays. But as life gets chaotic and hectic, as is typical during the holidays, we must pay even more attention to prioritizing our health and wellness. In this episode, we cover the six fundamental forms of self care for every day, including the holidays.
In our next few episodes, we want to discuss some very common situations that Type C people have difficulty managing, and what to do about it. Today's episode covers a typical workplace scenario - when many people come to Type C from throughout the company with questions, requests and projects.
In this episode, we interview Elizabeth Clemants, a mediator and conflict resolution trainer. Her firm Planning Change provides coaching, mediation, circles, healing sessions and restorative justice practices to help others grow, learn, evolve and heal, as well as resolve conflict. Elizabeth has wonderful insights for conflict-avoidant Type C'ers on how to view conflict differently and how to build skills to engage in it.
Many Type C people struggle with medically unexplained fatigue. Long COVID is sparking more research into chronic fatigue, which is positive for the invisible illness community. In this episode, we talk about the emotional and physical difficulties of living with fatigue and some strategies that can help.
Resources discussed in this episode include Radical Hope by Kelly A. Turner, Ph.D., The Metabolic Approach to Cancer by Dr. Nasha Winters, the Unrest documentary by Jennifer Brea, Unwell Women by Elinor Clighorn, and The Lady's Guide to Her Mysterious Illness by Sarah Ramey.
Jewish people have recently celebrated Rosh Hashanah, a holiday about new beginnings. One of the Rosh Hashanah prayers contemplates death; the point is to be present with the fact that life has an end, and it is uncertain when this might happen. We love this concept because many Type C people tend to have their heads in the sand - overly focused on others–making them happy, avoiding conflict. By contemplating the possibility of death, a Type C person can refocus priorities – life is too short to keep ignoring poor sleep, aches and pains, and the anger and resentment that grows when others get to have more fun and success.
On today's episode, we interview New York City-based attorney Lisa Solbakken about the importance of body language. Lisa has a fantastic perspective on this topic from her highly successful legal career. Her advice has tons of relevance for Type C people - we discuss owning your space, posture and stance, conflict situations, and personal style/authenticity.
Everyone has a voice in our heads, an inner critic that has a constantly-running commentary on everything we do. Type C people typically have a louder inner critic than the average person, and this may stem from messages we received growing up. In this episode, Kore and Anna discuss how this voice developed, what it tells us, and how to better manage it.
Because of our strong aversion to letting others down, Type C people often find it hard to do one thing at a time. We multi-task because our minds tell us we should be doing as much as we can for others. And, being hyper-productive helps us feel less worried about letting others down.
Books mentioned on today's episode:
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
- Be Here Now by Ram Dass
In this episode, we broadcast a recent webinar we hosted on how Type C traits can lead to chronic illness. We talk about what the Type C personality is, where it comes from, its impact on our health, and most importantly - how we can stop taking Type C to the extreme.
People with Type C traits often don’t feel well, with health issues like excessive fatigue, chronic pain, migraines, insomnia, and digestive disorders. These issues can result from Type C patterns of overextending ourselves at work or home as we try so hard to not disappoint or burden other people. In this episode, Kore and Anna highlight isolation as a big risk to be aware of when we’re not feeling well, and how to mitigate it.
Being direct and clear in communication can help us in so many ways! It strengthens our relationships, helps us with success at work, and ultimately improves our health. On this episode, we talk about Type C struggles with communication styles and how to be more direct.
We frequently suggest that Type C’ers can better our health by asking for help. But this is very hard to do. In this episode, we dive deep into the benefits of asking for help, the reasons why it's hard, and strategies to use.
On today’s episode, we talk with Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher Elaine Retholtz. MBSR is an 8-week program that offers intensive mindfulness training to assist people with stress, anxiety, depression and pain. Elaine has been active in the field for many years; she started exploring meditation in the 1960s. She was the first teacher in NYC certified by the Center for Mindfulness and she co-founded the NYC MBSR Teacher Collaborative. MBSR is a great strategy for Type C people to experiment with to manage the mind-based rules we live by as well as our responses to stress.
Resources mentioned on today’s episode:
- Elaine’s website: www.elaineretholtz.com
- Full Catastrophe Living and Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Real Happiness and Loving-Kindness by Sharon Salzberg
- 10% Happier by Dan Harris, and the app by the same name
On today’s episode, we talk with trauma expert Dr. Christie Jackson, the founder of Evolution Trauma and Wellness in New York City. Dr. Jackson formerly served as the Director of the PTSD Clinic at the Manhattan VA Medical Center. She has extensive training in the treatment of complex trauma and dissociative disorders, and has published articles and book chapters and presented widely in the area of traumatic stress. She offers great insight into the role trauma can play in the development of Type C patterns.
Resources mentioned on today’s episode:
- Dr. Jackson’s website: www.evolutiontraumawellness.com
- What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo
- The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.
- What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D.
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
It’s been one year since we started the Type C Toolbox project! In this episode, we take some time to reflect on where we are, what we’ve learned, and where we’re going. And also to thank our listeners and everyone who has helped with this project! We’ve found it so valuable to think about ourselves and the people in our lives within a Type C framework, and to identify decisions and behaviors that are driven by the traits - and to better understand the costs to our relationships and to our health. We’ve put a lot of content out there - 70+ blog posts, 30+ podcast episodes, and 230ish Instagram posts. It’s been very gratifying to hear from people that these messages are resonating with you.
Today we talked with Dr. Bojana Jankovic Weatherly, an award-winning physician, fellow of the American College of Physicians, and double board-certified in internal and integrative medicine. She is certified in functional medicine and trained in mindfulness. She partners with her patients to discover and address the root causes of their conditions and develops evidence-informed, personalized plans to support and empower each unique individual to achieve her or his health goals. We loved talking with her about her comprehensive approach to working with patients, especially those who are Type C - many of whom have chronic conditions.
Resources discussed on today’s episode:
- Dr. Weatherly’s website: https://drbojana.com/
- Instagram: dr_bojana
- Office phone number: 646.627.8000
- Books by Pema Chodron: Comfortable with Uncertainty, When Things Fall Apart, Start Where You Are, etc.
- The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- Transforming Trauma by James S. Gordon, M.D.
In this episode, we interview the Parenting Pair: Dr. Annalise Caron and Dr. Suzanne Allen, directors of the cognitive behavioral therapy-focused psychology practice CBT Westport in Westport, CT. Both Annalise and Suzanne have extensive experience and a passion for working with children, teens and families with an emphasis on attachment. They work with many Type C parents and have wonderful parenting advice for us!
Resources mentioned on today's episode:
- The Parenting Pair website: https://www.theparentingpair.com/
- Instagram and TikTok @theparentingpair
- The Emotional Lives of Teenages by Lisa Damour, Ph.D.
- Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
- Screamfree Parenting by Hal Runkel, LMFT
- How to Talk so Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
- Parenting from the Inside Out by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. and Mary Hartzell, M.Ed.
- Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
- How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims
In this episode, we interview Sari Cooper, Founder and Director of the Center for Love and Sex, and AASECT-certified sex therapist and supervisor. She specializes in working on issues such as sexual disorders, sexual avoidance, couples communication, affairs, separation, depression, anxiety, and alternative sexual interests with individuals and couples. Sari offers great insight into Type C traits in the context of sexual issues in relationships!
Resources mentioned on today's episode:
- YouTube channel Sex Esteem with Sari Cooper (@SexEsteem-withSariCooper)
- Instagram and Facebook @saricooperofficial
- Twitter @saricooperCST
- Website https://centerforloveandsex.com/
- Email sari@centerforloveandsex.com
- Email intake@centerforloveandsex.com
- Books
- The Erotic Mind: Unlocking the Inner Sources of Passion by Jack Morin, Ph.D.
- Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel
- The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity by Esther Perel
- Come as You Are by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D.
- She Comes First by Ian Kerner, Ph.D.
- LQBTQ: Woodhull Freedom Foundation, https://www.woodhullfoundation.org/
- Sex education for teens and emerging adults Scarleteen: https://www.scarleteen.com/
On today's episode, we host Dr. Nathan Tomcik, a board-certified couples and family psychologist. He has advanced training in Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy, which is an evidence-based approach that focuses on helping couples gain awareness of and resolve the problematic patterns of interaction that maintain their distress. He specializes in treating couples with sexual issues and couples recovering from affairs. He has worked for many years in the VA system in OH and currently is the Deputy Chief of Behavioral Health at the Columbus VA.
Resources discussed on today's episode include:
- Dr. Tomcik's website: www.drnathantomcik.com
- Behavioral couples therapy website to find a therapist: https://ibct.psych.ucla.edu/therapists/
- Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John M. Gottman, Ph.D.
- Hold Me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson
- Reconcilable Differences, Second Edition: Rebuild Your Relationship by Rediscovering the Partner You Love - Without Losing Yourself by Andrew Christensen Ph.D., Brian D. Doss Ph.D., Neil S. Jacobson, Ph.D.
- Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D.
- Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive by Kristin Neff, Ph.D.
- The High-Conflict Couple: A Dialectical Behavior Therapy Guide to Finding Peace, Intimacy, and Validation by Alan E. Fruzzetti, Ph.D.
- Domestic violence support at www.thehotline.org and 1-800-799-7233
We are so excited to host Jessica Sowards, a Licensed and Board Certified Clinical Acupuncturist in New York state. She has over twenty years of experience in women's health and treats a wide range of issues – from fertility to musculoskeletal care and recovery, chronic pain, inflammatory conditions, insomnia, hormone imbalances, and more. We talk all about her Type C patients and her strategies for treating them from a holistic perspective. Jessica is amazing!
Her book recommendations are Dragon Rises and Red Bird Flies: Psychology in Chinese Medicine by Leon Hammer MD and The Web That Has No Weaver by Ted Kaptchuk.
Jessica practices at the Lily + Horn clinic in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.
On this epsidoe, we are delighted to host the multi-talented Nesha Pai. Nesha wears a ton of hats - she is a CPA, owns a fast-growing accounting firm called Pai CPA; she wrote a wonderful book called Overcoming Ordinary Obstacles; she has a great podcast called Piece of the Pai where she interviews entrepreneurs; and she’s embarked on a new path of speaking - her talks are all about mindset and how she overcame her own ordinary obstacles - which included dealing with racism, sexism, mental health challenges, a personal religious crisis, divorce, and single motherhood.
Her book recommendations: Fear is my Homeboy by Judi Holler and F*ckless: A Guide to Wild, Unencumbered Freedom by Gianna Biscontini.
Follow/connect with Nesha on LinkedIn, Instagram @neshapai, and www.neshapai.com.
On this episode, we host the delightful Dr. Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco, a clinical psychologist who specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety and related conditions. She has a sub-specialty in the treatment of parents who are overwhelmed by the stresses of parenthood - she wrote a terrific book on the topic, Mom Brain.
The book recommendations she mentions are 1) Screaming on the Inside by Jessica Grose, 2) Work, Parent, Thrive: 12 Science-Backed Strategies to Ditch Guilt, Manage Overwhelm, and Grow Connection (When Everything Feels Like Too Much) by Yael Schonbrun, Ph.D., 3) Books by Lisa Damour: Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers.
Dr. Dobrow DiMarco can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as @drcbtmom, and online at www.drcbtmom.com.
On this episode, we talk all about sleep issues and Type C with Dr. Shelby Harris, a clinical psychologist who is board certified in behavioral sleep medicine. In 2019, she published the book The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia. She is a frequent guest and contributor to many news publications and TV shows such as the Today Show, the New York Times, WNYC and Good Morning America. Her sleep advice is life-changing!
Her book recommendation is Real Self Care by Dr. Pooja Lakshmin.
You can find her on Instagram, @sleepdocshelby, and on her website, https://www.drshelbyharris.com/.
In this episode, we talk to the amazing Dr. Elizabeth Arleo who has a book coming out this week called First Eat Your Frog and Other Pearls for Professional Working Mothers. Elizabeth is a super accomplished radiologist specializing in women’s imaging, and she has accumulated a ton of great advice for working women and a lot of it is great for Type C women also.
Books we discussed include: You're Wearing That? and You Just Don't Understand by Deborah Tannen, Getting Things Done by David Allen, Living Forward by Michael S. Hyatt, and The Full Focus Planner by Michael S. Hyatt.
Elizabeth also recommends an app called todoist.
Her website is https://elizabethkaganarleo.com/ and Instagram is @drarleo.
On this episode, we interview the wonderful Dr. Sarah Olivo and Dr. Liz Seidler, founders of the College is Fine podcast. They are two clinical psychologists who aim to share actionable advice for college students on how to find balance, use humor in the struggle, and access their own mental compass. We cover Type C traits in college students and how they coach these clients - they also share great self care advice!
Here's where to find them: www.collegeisfinepodcast.com - @collegeisfinepodcast on Instagram - College is Fine podcast on all standard podcast platforms.
Their book recommendations: The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain is Different and How to Understand Yours by Chantel Prat, Ph.D.; Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman; How to Navigate Life: The New Science of Finding Your Way in School, Career, and Beyond by Belle Liang, Ph.D. and Timothy Klein, LSCW.
Also: Check out the SPACE treatment, Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions, https://www.spacetreatment.net/; book is Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD: A Scientifically Proven Program for Parents by Eli R. Lebowitz, Ph.D.
On this episode, we interview the delightful Kate Nichols, founder of Cycle Breakers Therapy where she treats ambitious but anxious women who seem fine but are secretly stressed. We talk burnout, shame, family systems, people-pleasing, and much more! Kate shares TERRIFIC self-care strategies and also how she intentionally focuses on making time for fun - one extremely cool fun thing she does is stand-up comedy! (We've seen her and she's hilarious).
Here's where to find her: www.cyclebreakerstherapy.com - @cyclebreakerstherapy on Instagram - @heykatenichols on Instagram (comedy)
Her book recommendations: Burnout, the Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski, Ph.D. and Amelia Nagoski, DMA; Codependent No More by Melody Beattie; and The Proactive Twelve Steps by Serge Prengel.
In this episode, we talk about the possibility that there is a purpose to our struggles, and if we see them differently, a lot of growth can happen. No one escapes pain and suffering, it is part of our shared humanity! When we see that there is a point, we can start to see ourselves differently, and accept that our struggles are important, therefore we are important.
Why do Type C people lie? No surprises here - we lie so we don't burden someone else, so we don't disappoint someone, we want to be a strong team player. In this episode, Kore and Anna talk about all of the reasons we lie and why it's important to our health to live more honestly.
Excessively conscientious Type C people find making mistakes excruciating since we hate disappointing other people, we hate letting them down. In this episode, Kore and Anna share stories about mistakes from their respective worlds and some strategies for better handling them.
Common issues for Type C'ers in committed relationships are avoiding conflict, not expressing emotions, taking on a partner's problems, and taking on too much domestic labor. On this episode, we talk about all of these issues and which tools we can use to improve the health of our relationships.
We mention two books that we highly recommend: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman and Nan Silver and Hold Me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson.
A common thread with Type C’ers, who do so much for everyone else, is an underlying belief that their needs are more important than ours. Somewhere along the way, we have gotten the message that we were not worthy. Maybe this stemmed from abuse, excessive criticism, or significant invalidation from people early in our childhood. On this episode, we discuss how to overcome this sense of unworthiness and to accept our importance.
One show note: we mention this book, Broken Open by Elizabeth Lesser, for anyone interested in reading it.
Why do Type C people face such difficulty unplugging? We can be pathological when it comes to checking emails and texts, worried that we are letting someone down. In this episode, we share stories about the costs of not unplugging and talk about how to take small steps to practice doing it.
For Type C people, the strength of connections and relationships can be a challenge. We often feel lonely because we are afraid to express our opinions or because we can’t be vulnerable with other people because we don’t want to upset them. We also might feel guilty about burdening other people with our problems. This wonderful New York Times article is a great resource.
It's especially important for Type C'ers to be aware of burnout during the holiday season, we often ignore the signals from our own bodies.
Type Cer's often struggle with falling and staying asleep. Suppressing emotions, focusing on others, staying busy trying not to upset people – this can all increase adrenaline in our bodies. Sometimes sleep issues relate to negative stress, though positive stress can also contribute - like not recognizing that we’re doing too much. In this episode, Kore and Anna discuss strategies for getting better sleep and making peace with our sleep troubles.
Money is a complicating factor in a lot of relationships, and Type C people can find this dynamic extra challenging given the propensity to default to “yes” and feel like a bad person when saying “no”. In this episode, Kore and Anna discuss many examples of sticky situations for Type C when it comes to money, and how to handle them.
For Type C people, it's very easy to get caught up in doing things for other people and not being intentional with our precious time. We can fall into a trap of “I will do that when I finish this,” or “Let me just finish this one thing” - and we end up with a to-do list that never ends! It’s so important to really evaluate what we are spending time on - are there things that we have really thought about and want to be present with?
Alcohol has several benefits in the short term for people with Type C traits - it can help us feel emotions like stress and guilt less intensely, and it can create a feeling of distance from challenging situations and other stressors. It can help us make time for ourselves - which is such a struggle when sober - and it can help us be more expressive and more assertive. In this episode, Kore and Anna discuss alcohol as a coping mechanism and offer strategies to help.
Type C people - who avoid conflict and always maintain a pleasant facade - can find navigating the medical system very challenging, especially those dealing with chronic or invisible illnesses. It can be difficult to advocate for ourselves and to argue with respected physicians.
Women are particularly vulnerable to being ignored by doctors; there is a long history of women being viewed as hysterical and as hypochondriacs. Two terrific books on this topic are Unwell Women by Elinor Clighorn and The Lady’s Handbook for her Mysterious Illness by Sarah Ramey; both explore personal journeys of navigating the medical system with mysterious conditions and having to fight tooth and nail to be heard and treated.
Many of us have narcissists in our lives, either within close relationships or as acquaintances, and for Type C people, these relationships are incredibly challenging to navigate. Type C'ers are particularly vulnerable to abuse from narcissists because they have trouble standing up for themselves and are less likely to leave the relationship. In this episode, Kore & Anna discuss practical strategies to protect ourselves.
For additional resources on narcissists, these links may be helpful:
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/toxic-relationships/201911/the-price-and-payoff-gray-rock-strategy
- https://psychcentral.com/lib/what-is-narcissistic-abuse#4
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20366662
With difficult, toxic, or pushy people, sometimes it's best to end the relationship - which can be very hard for Type C'ers who are likely to avoid the inevitable conflict and keep kicking the can down the road. In this episode, Kore and Anna discuss when it's time to move on as well as different tactics for getting out safely.
Type C people hate disappointing people and struggle with saying no - so dealing with pushy, aggressive people is a big challenge! In the episode, Kore and Anna share stories and give practical advice on how to push back.
Self care is quite a buzzword right now, and for Type C people, it’s more than just taking the odd bubble bath or getting a massage. It’s a deep commitment to recognizing our own needs and prioritizing health - things that require awareness, routine, and practice. In this episode, we talk in depth about Anna's chronic health issues stemming from poor self care and how she overcame them.
Many of us made the switch to some level of remote work during the pandemic, which inevitably led to specific struggles for excessively conscientious, pathologically nice Type C people! In the episode, Kore and Anna talk about the difficulties of sticking to a beginning and end of the workday, an elevated need to show output and prove ourselves, feelings of guilt about doing personal things during the day, and worries about team dynamics since it’s harder to get a read on colleagues from a virtual distance.
For excessively conscientious, pathologically nice Type C people, taking vacation or sick days is hard. Companies usually have well-defined guidelines around time off, so why is it difficult to ask for it? Generally this relates to guilt! People with Type C feel like they are letting down the team, they don’t want to burden other people with extra work when they are out, and/or they should be superhuman and get it all done without rest and recovery. Leaving work during the workday can be hard as well. Kore and Anna talk all about these issues and how to think & act in healthier ways. For more on the Type C personality, check out www.typectoolbox.com!
Type C pathologically nice people can be a dream to work with - they are strong team players, like to do good work, and are generally easy to get along with. They hate letting people down, so are super conscientious and take their responsibilities seriously. These are great qualities - but can cause harm if taken too far. In this episode, Kore and Anna talk about overdoing it, making mistakes, handling feedback, and more!
Please check out the many Type C in the workplace posts on www.typectoolbox.com. And, if your company is interested in a corporate wellness talk on Type C, please see the Workshops & Training section of our website!
You’ve heard of “Type A” and “Type B”, what is Type C personality? Common Type C traits include: excessively conscientious, avoids conflict, feels powerless, carries others’ burdens, wants to please others, doesn’t set sufficient personal boundaries, internalizes toxic emotions, maintains a constant facade of pleasantness.
Many people fall into this “pathologically nice” category and lack skills to become aware of and effectively communicate their needs. Unfortunately, Type C habits can harm our mental and physical health if taken too far; they have been scientifically linked to disease.
We first read about Type C in a book by Dr. Nasha Winters, The Metabolic Approach to Cancer. Some scientific studies on Type C include: Garsen, B. & Goodwin, K. (1999). On the role of immunological factors as mediators between psychosocial factors and cancer progression. Psychiatry Research 85(1):51-61; Baltrusch, H. J., Stangel, W., & Titze, I. (1991); Stress, cancer and immunity: New developments in biopsychosocial and psychoneuroimmunologic research. Acta Neurologica, 13(4), 315–327.
Please check out our blog, www.typectoolbox.com, and our Instagram feed, @typectoolbox!