We’re told to be ourselves. Be real. Show up fully.And we want that—most of us do.
But we also want to be liked. Accepted.Sometimes, we just want to belong.
And yes, we adapt. We adjust. We hold parts of ourselves back—not to deceive, but to fit.
That doesn’t make us fake. It just makes us human.
But here’s the nuance:
Being true to yourself isn’t about saying “this is me—deal with it.”
And it’s definitely not about blaming yourself when you don’t feel seen.
It’s about noticing when you’re adjusting to connect
versus when you’re shrinking to fit.
It’s about asking : “Am I choosing this because it reflects who I am—or because I hope it will help me belong?”
Because there’s a big difference between disappearing to fit in and forcing your truth on others just to feel valid.
You don’t have to be invisible to be accepted. And you don’t have to be extreme to be real.
There’s a space between the two.
And that space? That’s where you’ll find something that actually feels like you.