Shrinking – The Art of Making Myself Small

Self & Identity Series

I’ve mastered the art of shrinking. The art of folding myself up so tight that I fit into whatever space people expect me to stay in. I’ve gotten used to dimming down my thoughts, softening my voice, lowering my presence—because the moment I take up space, somebody looks at me like I’ve overstepped.

It’s wild how often I’ve felt constrained. Like there’s this invisible rope tied around me, pulling tighter every time I try to stretch out into who I know I could be. And I’ve gone along with it. I’ve tucked my edges in. I’ve apologized for being too much. I’ve swallowed the parts of me that didn’t fit the environment.

But how long am I supposed to live like this? How do you break free when the world around you doesn’t seem ready for your growth? Do I keep confining myself—pressing pause on who I am and who I want to become—just because it makes everyone else more comfortable?

It feels like betrayal. Betrayal of myself. Because deep down I know I wasn’t made to stay small. And yet here I am, folding myself back into that tiny box again and again.

Maybe the real question is: do I wait for the environment to be ready, or do I grow anyway? What if the only way to survive is to stop asking permission to expand?