Thanks for the vulnerability and full marks for self awareness.

> I want to be liked too much, and in my emotional core, I'm frightened. I don't think I'm alone in this.

This makes at least the two of us. Of late, I’ve been observing how frightened my inner child becomes when it perceives not being liked. I’m straddling the line between the temptation to feel relieved by being liked and the survival-level fear when faced with disapproval. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.