As a recovered pretender

I used to believe that keeping up a facade was how I could protect myself from judgment, therefore keeping me happy. I know now that "protecting" myself from what others might think was actually the thing making me unhappy.

Disconnecting from myself to feel “connected” to others felt safer, was detrimental. Now, my practice is staying true to myself while knowing for sure that others will judge me. My protection from judgment is not in avoiding it, it’s in my connection to me.

People are judging us all the time anyway. It may as well be for being our best version of us rather than a shell of ourselves.