Self Love & Identity

Dear Delyara, For years, I edited my personality to fit into the spaces other people left for me. I spoke quieter, laughed less, and hid my true interests so I wouldn't be 'too much.' But this morning, I realized that I’m tired of being a diluted version of myself. I bought the outfit I was told was 'too bold,' and I spoke my mind in a room full of people who usually talk over me. It felt like taking a deep breath after being underwater for a decade. I am not a project to be fixed; I am a person to be known. I am finally starting to like the person I see in the mirror.