I was listening to my friend speak last night, and she led us in an exercise to identify lies we tell ourselves – the ones that that keep us in cycles of fear or trauma. I was thinking through my fear of writing and a phrase suddenly emerged with fierce clarity.

“No one will believe you.”

I hadn’t realized this lie had embedded itself into my mind. I hadn’t even identified the phrase up until that point. But the effects have been felt for a long time –

In the ways I feel I have to say things just right so I won’t be misunderstood.
In the energy I spend to build a case, so my conviction will be shared.