Good News Mental Health with Dr. Uejin Kim, MD

What happens when being responsible stops being something you do—and starts becoming who you are?

For many high achievers, helpers, parents, and “responsible children,” caring about something can quietly become feeling responsible for it. Other people’s disappointment. Their emotions. Their outcomes. Keeping the peace. Making sure everyone is okay.

In Episode 60, psychiatrist Dr. Uejin Kim explores four ideas we often confuse: responsibility, identity, worth, and calling.

We’ll talk about why boundaries can feel surprisingly threatening, why achievement can never permanently settle the question of worth, and how to distinguish what you genuinely care about from what is actually yours to carry.

You don’t have to become less responsible. The work is learning to carry responsibility without asking responsibility to carry your identity.

And perhaps the deeper question is:

Who are you when your hands are empty?

parentified child quiz https://www.uejinkim.com/parentifiedchild_quiz

#FaithByPsych #HighAchievers #Parentification #Boundaries #SelfWorth #ChristianMentalHealth #MentalHealth #EmotionalHealing #PeoplePleasing #Psychiatry

Have you ever finished work—but your brain just keeps working?

You're replaying conversations. Thinking about who you might have disappointed. Anticipating problems that haven't happened yet. Coming up with solutions before anyone even asks.

Maybe you're not simply "bad at resting."

In this episode, psychiatrist Dr. Uejin Kim explores a pattern she sees in many high achievers, helpers, physicians, parents, and leaders: responsibility can slowly stop being something we do and become part of how we know we're okay.

Dr. Kim shares her own experience of becoming the family planner, developing what she calls "hyperactive burnout," and eventually realizing that planning wasn't simply her personality—it had become a way her nervous system created safety.

You'll learn:

• Why some highly responsible people struggle to turn their brains off
• How responsibility can become tied to identity and safety
• Why slowing down, resting, and saying no can feel surprisingly uncomfortable
• Why burnout doesn't always look like lying in bed exhausted
• How healing doesn't require becoming less responsible

Responsibility is a gift. But it was never intended to become your identity.

In the next episode, we'll go deeper into childhood attachment and explore how the nervous system learns where "home" is in the first place.

Were you parentified quiz: https://www.uejinkim.com/parentifiedchild_quiz

#FaithbyPsych #Burnout #HighAchievers #Parentification #Perfectionism #PeoplePleasing #MentalHealth #NervousSystem #Attachment #ChristianMentalHealth #EmotionalHealth

Many Christians have heard messages like:

"Just pray more."

"You shouldn't be depressed if your faith is strong."

"Therapy isn't biblical."

But are those actually biblical?

In this episode, I sit down with fellow Christian psychiatrist Dr. Sabrina Gunn to have an honest conversation about faith, mental health, church culture, trauma, emotional regulation, therapy, medication, and the role of the Church in healing.

We discuss:

• Common mental health myths in Christian communities
• Why shame keeps many believers from seeking help
• Church hurt and emotional healing
• How leaders can care for their own mental health
• The difference between emotional struggles and spiritual failure
• Why emotional health is part of spiritual maturity

Our prayer is that this conversation brings both grace and truth to anyone navigating faith and emotional health.

If this episode encouraged you, please subscribe and share it with someone who may need hope today.

Find Dr. Sabrinna Gunn here: https://linktr.ee/dr_sabrina
Find Dr. Uejin Kim here: www.restorepsych.com and www.uejinkim.com

#FaithByPsych #ChristianMentalHealth #ChurchHurt #MentalHealth #ChristianPsychiatrist #FaithAndMentalHealth #EmotionalHealing #TraumaHealing #ChurchLeaders #MentalWellness #BiblicalCounseling

Have you always been the "strong one"?

Maybe people praised you for being mature, responsible, or independent—but underneath that strength, you've spent years feeling responsible for everyone else's emotions, problems, and wellbeing.

In this episode, Dr. Uejin Kim, Christian psychiatrist, explains parentification—a childhood pattern where children begin carrying responsibilities that were never meant to be theirs.

You'll learn:

• What parentification actually is
• Emotional vs. instrumental parentification
• How it differs from abuse or neglect
• Why so many high achievers struggle to rest
• Why naming your story isn't about blaming your parents—it's about understanding yourself

Healing begins when we finally have words for what we've been carrying.

If this episode encouraged you, subscribe for more conversations on emotional health, faith, neuroscience, and healing.

Disclaimer: This site's content is not intended to diagnose or treat any disorders but rather for informational, educational, and empowerment purposes. Please consult with your physician or mental health provider for specific medical and mental health needs. Our connection via social media platforms does not constitute a patient-physician relationship.

CONNECT WITH DR. KIM
🧠 Psychiatric Practice: www.restorepsych.com
📚 Courses, Coaching & Speaking: www.uejinkim.com
📩 parentified child quiz https://www.uejinkim.com/parentifiedchild_quiz

#FaithByPsych #Parentification #HighAchievers #ChildhoodTrauma #MentalHealth #ChristianMentalHealth #EmotionalHealing #NervousSystem #Psychiatry #HealingJourney

If you were the “responsible one”… the dependable one… the one who held everything together—this episode is for you.

In this deeply honest conversation, Dr. Uejin Kim sits down with Evita Moran, LMSW, to unpack the hidden cost of growing up too early—and how that shapes high-achieving adults who look successful on the outside but feel exhausted inside.

We explore parentification, burnout, identity loss, and what it really means to heal—not just mentally, but spiritually.

This is not about losing your drive.

This is about finally finding peace without living on edge.

💬 If you've ever thought:
“Why am I so tired when everything looks fine?”
—you are not alone.

Evita Morin on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evitamorin/
Parentified Child Quiz: https://www.uejinkim.com/parentifiedchild_quiz

Chapters
00:00 The Burden of Excellence
01:37 Personal Stories of Struggle
06:00 The Impact of Early Responsibilities
09:03 Finding Identity in Stillness
11:03 The Journey of Self-Care
13:37 Faith and Personal Growth
17:47 Reconnecting with Spirituality
22:40 Rediscovering Play and Joy
23:58 The Struggle with Vulnerability
25:31 Control, Trust, and the Need for Surrender
27:44 The Power of Play and Rest
30:32 Internal vs. External Excellence
37:17 Self-Care and Enoughness
41:14 Embracing Vulnerability and the Moose Antler Symbolism

Disclaimer: This site's content is not intended to diagnose or treat any disorders but rather for informational, educational, and empowerment purposes. Please consult with your physician or mental health provider for specific medical and mental health needs. Our connection via social media platforms does not constitute a patient-physician relationship.

CONNECT WITH DR. KIM
🧠 Psychiatric Practice: www.restorepsych.com
📚 Courses, Coaching & Speaking: www.uejinkim.com
📩 parentified child quiz https://www.uejinkim.com/parentifiedchild_quiz

#ChristianMentalHealth #ParentifiedChild #MarthaAndMary #AnxietyHealing #HighFunctioningAnxiety #FaithAndPsychology #UnhealedTrauma #ComparisonTrap #BurnoutRecovery #faithbypsych

You’re the dependable one. The strong one. The one everyone leans on.
But inside? You’re exhausted — and wondering who fills your cup.

In this episode, Dr. Uejin Kim reframes the story of Martha through the lens of parentification, anxiety, over-functioning, and unhealed childhood roles. If you’ve ever felt stuck in the “responsible one” identity — constantly scanning for needs, proving your worth through service, and secretly resenting how unseen you feel — this message is for you. Through a psychological and biblical deep dive into Luke 10 and John 11–12, we explore how Jesus doesn’t shame high-functioning achievers… He frees them.

This is about breaking the comparison trap (Martha vs. Mary), healing performance-based identity, and learning how to serve from love instead of fear.

CONNECT WITH DR. KIM
🧠 Psychiatric Practice: www.restorepsych.com
📚 Courses, Coaching & Speaking: www.uejinkim.com
📩 parentified child quiz https://www.uejinkim.com/parentifiedchild_quiz

#ChristianMentalHealth #ParentifiedChild #MarthaAndMary #AnxietyHealing #HighFunctioningAnxiety #FaithAndPsychology #UnhealedTrauma #ComparisonTrap #BurnoutRecovery #faithbypsych

If you’re a high achiever who keeps reaching for alcohol, THC, or other substances just to calm your brain—this video is not about judgment. It’s about understanding.

For many high-achieving adults with a parentified childhood, substance use doesn’t begin as rebellion. It begins as relief.

Growing up in chaos, unpredictability, or emotional neglect trains the nervous system to stay hyper-vigilant. When rest never felt safe, substances can become the first reliable way to turn the alarm system off.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why parentified children often turn to substances
• How hypervigilance and performance wire the brain
• Why achievement can’t produce true peace
• How substance use often begins as self-soothing, not self-destruction

I also share a safer way to find rest through the RPC Method (Reflect, Protect, Connect) and how to begin practicing self-parenting.

👉 Try the first module of my course for free: click here

There is a safer way to rest.

#HighAchievers #SubstanceUse #ParentifiedChild #TraumaHealing #MentalHealth #ChristianMentalHealth #AddictionRecovery #SelfParenting #NervousSystemRegulation #GoodNewsMentalHealth

Disclaimer: This site's content is not intended to diagnose or treat any disorders but rather for informational, educational, and empowerment purposes. Please consult with your physician or mental health provider for specific medical and mental health needs. Our connection via social media platforms does not constitute a patient-physician relationship.

Do you succeed—but feel strangely empty afterward?
Do you struggle to rest, celebrate, or slow down without guilt?

If you grew up as a parentified child, this episode explains why.

Many high achievers were the “glue” in their families—absorbing stress, preventing crises, and keeping everyone else safe. That unseen work often goes unrecognized, even though it took enormous strength.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why high achievers feel empty after success
• How hypervigilance and over-responsibility develop in childhood
• The unseen labor parentified children carry into adulthood
• Why letting go of the role doesn’t mean losing your strengths

I also share how the RPC Method (Reflect, Protect, Connect) teaches self-parenting skills so your strengths become sustainable instead of exhausting.

👉 Try the course for free: click here

You don’t have to carry everything alone anymore.

#HighAchievers #ParentifiedChild #EmotionalExhaustion #MentalHealth #TraumaHealing #SelfParenting #BurnoutRecovery #GoodNewsMentalHealth #InnerChildHealing #LeadershipWellbeing

Disclaimer: This site's content is not intended to diagnose or treat any disorders but rather for informational, educational, and empowerment purposes. Please consult with your physician or mental health provider for specific medical and mental health needs. Our connection via social media platforms does not constitute a patient-physician relationship.

Do you get intense anxiety right before or right after big moments—speaking, exams, leadership decisions, or even relationships—while performing just fine during them?

If you’re a high achiever with a parentified childhood, this video explains why.

Many high-functioning adults learned early: “I’m only safe when I’m useful.”
That belief doesn’t disappear with success—it shows up as performance anxiety, people-pleasing, over-responsibility, and an inability to rest.

In this episode, I cover:

• Why performance anxiety often starts in childhood, not adulthood
• How parentification wires your nervous system for survival
• Why discipline and insight alone don’t stop the hamster wheel
• How self-parenting helps you step off survival mode without losing your strengths

I also share how my Be Still to Move Forward course teaches practical self-parenting skills so success becomes sustainable—not exhausting.

👉 Try the course for free: click here

You don’t have to earn safety anymore.

Disclaimer: This site's content is not intended to diagnose or treat any disorders but rather for informational, educational, and empowerment purposes. Please consult with your physician or mental health provider for specific medical and mental health needs. Our connection via social media platforms does not constitute a patient-physician relationship.

#HighAchievers #ParentifiedChild #PerformanceAnxiety #MentalHealth #ChristianMentalHealth #SelfParenting #TraumaHealing #GoodNewsMentalHealth #AnxietyRelief #BurnoutRecovery

What if the very thing you’ve been hiding—your pain, your story, your “not enough”—is actually the talent God wants to multiply?

In this deeply personal and unscripted episode of the Good News Mental Health Podcast, Dr. Uejin Kim—child & adolescent psychiatrist—reflects on the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) through a mental-health and trauma-informed lens. She explores how fear, comparison, and unchallenged assumptions can quietly keep us stuck—spiritually, emotionally, and relationally.

This episode speaks directly to those who:

Grew up needing to figure everything out alone

Feel behind, overlooked, or “less than” in faith, marriage, or calling

Carry trauma, burnout, or disappointment and wonder if it still has value

Feel trapped in comparison or toxic faith narratives

You’ll hear why God doesn’t ask us to outperform others—only to be faithful with what we’ve been given—and how healing often begins when we stop burying our gifts and start asking better questions.

Helpful Links:

✨ Ready to get started on your personal growth & healing journey? Heal your inner child & reconnect with yourself here:
https://www.uejinkim.com/bestill

👉 Ever feel like what you do is never enough? Try the first portion of the course FREE at:
https://www.uejinkim.com/offers/hVkLwLEL

➡️ Stay in the know for upcoming events and sign up for our newsletter at:
https://linktr.ee/druejinkim
https://www.uejinkim.com/signup

📘 Free Emotional Resilience & Fragility Quiz: https://www.uejinkim.com/EFquizforleaders
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