When You’re Tired of Pretending You’re Fine



There was a time—not all that long ago—when my inner voice felt more like a bully than a best friend. I’d hit goals, hit deadlines, smile for the camera, and still crawl into bed with that ache… the one that whispered, You’re not enough.

Not accomplished enough. Not beautiful enough. Not lovable enough.

Even when everything on the outside seemed “fine,” my inner world was full of self-doubt.

And that kind of emotional weight? It’s exhausting.

I started shrinking in places I was meant to shine. Turning down opportunities I secretly dreamed of. Watching others go after the life I wanted while I played it safe, wrapped in a blanket of fear and insecurity. What I needed wasn’t more hustle or a glow-up. I needed emotional healing —real, rooted-in-truth healing. I needed to stop chasing perfection and start learning how to love the woman I was already becoming.

That Tiny Moment of Courage That Changed Everything

It didn’t happen all at once. There wasn’t a dramatic movie moment—just a quiet, powerful flicker of truth. A new opportunity came up. One of those chances that makes your heart flutter and your stomach twist at the same time. And just like that, the fear chimed in: You’re not ready. You’ll mess it up. Don’t even try.

But something inside me—something deeper—whispered back:

What if this time, you chose faith over fear?

So I did.

I said yes. Even though I was scared. Even though my hands were shaking. Because I was done letting self-doubt make my choices for me.

That moment didn’t magically cure me. But it cracked open the door to something better. Something truer. That was the day I started building confidence —not from what I looked like or accomplished, but from showing up anyway.

What Healing Actually Looks Like

Let’s be real— emotional healing is anything but linear. It’s not a checklist or a straight line. It’s more like a spiral—sometimes messy, often uncomfortable, always worth it.

Here’s what that journey looked like for me:

Getting Curious About My Doubt

I started asking the hard questions:

Where did this belief come from? Who told me I wasn’t enough?

Turns out, a lot of those answers were rooted in old wounds, outdated expectations, and stories that were never mine to begin with.

Read More: https://peonymagazine.com/wellness/when-youre-tired-of-pretending-youre-fine/

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