Whether or not you’ve been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, or just find yourself worrying a whole lot, I can bet those bouts of insomnia or sudden jolts of panic in the middle of the night are due to hidden stresses you’re not dealing with. Some of which could be a fear of revealing your true self.
As someone who was groomed early on to repress my wild outside the lines personality, I was good at stuffing down my real thoughts, beliefs and opinions. It still takes me a moment to see that I’m doing it. It kind of looks like saying, “Yes,” when I mean, “No,” or staying quiet when I should speak up.
What I learned is everything we need to succeed in this world whether professionally, physically and emotionally is inside of us. It was baked in deep from our first breath on earth.
And then we’re rejected, mocked or scolded for being too us. It’s not ladylike or it’s bad manners. But really, in order to set yourself apart in the world, in order to know when to rest when you’re sick or not let other people cross your boundaries, you’ve got to know who you are and express it aloud.
This will cause a lot of discomfort, awkwardness and some angry behavior. It will cause you to risk your heart, but in return you’ll get your life back.
Not being yourself smiling when you feel like crying, pleasing others so you won’t feel like a bad person, and hiding your true feelings will exacerbate anxiety. Feelings need to be felt. I heard somewhere that you can’t change your feelings. They keep coming back until you express them.
I know it can feel isolating and scary to say how you really feel especially if you were taught your voice was unwanted.
The thing is being yourself is the gateway to finding people who genuinely care about the real you, not the one that presents itself as Instagram perfect or Facebook worthy.
And when you can finally sigh in that nest of self-acceptance, you’ll find that everything else seems a lot easier. You get the job you actually wanted. You find a relationship that feels right. And you’ll feel better physically and emotionally.
It’s not an easy path. If you need extra help, you can sign up to get tools I created just for you.
