THE VANISHING ACT

You learned early that taking up space was dangerous—that your needs, feelings, and very presence could trigger conflict 🗣️ or make things worse. So you became a master of the disappearing act, developing an incredible ability to avoid "rocking the boat." Your skill at anticipating others' needs before they even know them is genuinely remarkable 🎯. You can sense when someone is getting worked up and automatically dial yourself down to give them space. But this survival strategy came with a devastating cost: you learned that connection means silencing yourself, that care is earned by being "low-maintenance," and that your worth depends on how little trouble you cause others. Now you feel guilty when you say "no" or put yourself first, as if you're doing something dirty 🗑️.

All this suppressed emotion has to go somewhere—and the only outlet for your pent-up anger is perhaps periodic blow-ups 💣, which only validate your belief that your emotions are dangerous and 'too much'. Outside of those moments, you've become so skilled at self-censoring that you sometimes wonder if you have any emotions to share at all.