One Positive Action

Speak up for yourself:

For a lot of us, staying quiet feels safer. Maybe we’ve been told our feelings are “too much” or that keeping the peace is more important than speaking the truth. So we learn to swallow discomfort, to smile through resentment, to let things slide. But over time, silence becomes heavy. It turns into shame, self-doubt, even anger. We start to believe our voice doesn’t matter.

But the truth is, using your voice, especially when it shakes, is one of the most courageous things you can do. You don’t have to raise it. You don’t have to make a scene. You just have to be honest. To name what’s not okay. To say, This isn’t working for me, or I need something different. It might not feel big to anyone else, but for you, it’s everything. It’s a reclaiming of self-respect.

Speaking up isn’t being combative, it’s refusing to abandon yourself to make someone else more comfortable. And yes, it might feel scary or awkward at first. That’s okay. Courage doesn’t always feel strong in the moment. Sometimes it feels like a lump in your throat or a pit in your stomach. But on the other side of that discomfort is a version of you who knows they’re worth protecting.

So today, practice in a small way. Think of one boundary you’ve been avoiding, maybe it’s staying late when you don’t want to, tolerating a comment that doesn’t sit right, or agreeing to something out of guilt. Choose one moment where you can speak a little more honestly. Write the words down first if you need to. Say them out loud to yourself. And when the moment comes, say them with the quiet confidence of someone learning to trust their own voice again.