You know that moment when someone asks what you want for dinner and you say, “I do not mind,” even though you absolutely do? Or when you have a thought in a meeting, feel it forming, and then watch someone else speak before you because you have already decided theirs will sound better? Shrinking yourself does not always look dramatic. It can happen in tiny, almost forgettable moments. You laugh off the thing that hurt you. You say yes before checking whether you have the time

We are always told to be authentic. To speak our mind. To just stop worrying about what other people think. To show up as the person we really are. It sounds simple until you are standing in front of someone you have never met before. How much should you say? How much should you reveal? What if they judge you? What if they misunderstand you? What if you show them something real and they use it against you? These questions can make self expression feel much more complicated th