Lately, life feels like an elaborate performance.

As though you’re just playing a role for everyone else.

You’re not sure when you started hiding behind this mask.

But in the process, you’ve lost touch with yourself.

Relationships have always been a struggle for you.

Intimacy has never been your strong suit.

And, though you’d love to find a deep connection with someone, it just doesn’t ever seem to work out.

So, you hide behind your mask. Pretending to be invulnerable. Acting like someone who doesn’t mind

being alone.

You go to great lengths to avoid conflict.

Ignoring slights and shrugging off mistreatment.

You don’t like to think of yourself as a pushover, but if the alternative is an argument, you’d rather just

keep quiet.

Especially since standing up for yourself would require a confrontation that would betray your easy-

going façade.

Disappointing people is one of your biggest fears.

But if no one can see the real you, then you can’t disappoint them.

You’re immune to the judgment of others as long as you keep your true self hidden.

And it’s impossible to be self-conscious if you’re not yourself.

You’re so scared of someone seeing the real you.

If they knew what you were really feeling or thinking, you’re sure they’d reject you.

So you do your best to blend in and disappear into the crowd.

“Just don’t rock the boat” has become your motto.

Living this way is so isolating.

Sometimes you dream about moving alone to the woods.

“Then,” you think, “I could finally be myself again.”

But deep down, you know that you need to connect with others to feel truly whole.

Something needs to change.

You’ve been wearing your disguise for so long that you’ve begun to mistake it for your real self.

That is not you. It’s just a defense mechanism that you’ve used through tough times.

But you don’t need it anymore. It’s time to take off the mask and rediscover the person underneath