I am starting to fear I have become too competent at staying where I am diminished

Dear Delyara, That thought is hard to ignore once it arrives. I know how to cope. I know how to continue. I know how to look capable, deliver enough, remain responsible, and survive environments that take more than they give. That has helped me build a life. It may also have helped me remain in spaces that quietly reduce me. Competence can disguise misalignment very well. If you function long enough, people assume it fits. Sometimes you do too. I am beginning to question that assumption. And it unsettles me.