I wrote yesterday, May 7, 2026
The Sanctuary of my Heart
For all my life, I was never shown the path to confidence or the way to stand on my own. I grew up leaning on the shadows of others, never realizing I could be my own foundation. I was never taught to love the skin I’m in or to find beauty in my natural reflection. Instead, the air around me was filled with the judgment of others, and slowly, I began to see myself through those same critical eyes. I started a war of comparison, measuring my worth against every girl and boy I saw, even when I was far too young to carry such a weight.
Now, at eighteen, the world feels like a stage where I’ve forgotten my lines. I lack the courage to dress in the colors I love because the mirror tells a story so different from the girls I see. I wonder why beauty seems like a language everyone else speaks fluently while I remain silent. I am haunted by the fear of a single mistake, terrified that if I stumble, the world will laugh. My childhood was spent in quiet isolation, locked away from the rhythm of friendship, and now that I am standing in the open, the noise of the world feels like a crashing wave.
Everyone demands to know my future and the person I am meant to become. They look at me and see a someone who is grown, expecting answers I do not have. The truth is, I am still a stranger to myself. I have spent so long being told who I should be that I never learned who I actually am, or what I am meant to do with this life I’ve been given.