Hxdream

This one’s a tough one.

I don’t know about you, but my stomach gets into knots when I have to voice certain matters. Especially around people who seem inconsiderate, the ones who block the driveway, blast music too loud, or cross a boundary that affects my peace.

And somehow, I’m the one who feels bad for speaking up.

Even when I ask kindly and they respond apologetically, my body still reacts. I get that uneasy feeling… almost like I did something wrong.

It’s wild how easily I can forget that I’m allowed to speak up. That my needs matter. That asking someone not to infringe on my peace or space isn’t too much, it’s simply self-respect.

As an adult, I’m realizing something important:

I get to be the protector of that inner me, the one who, as a child, didn’t get to advocate for herself. The one who was shut down or wasn’t protected emotionally in the ways a child needed to be. The part of me that once didn’t feel safe or was bullied for making her feelings known. Now, I get to be that protector for myself and reparent that inner child within me. I get to speak up for her, honor her needs, and make sure she knows she’s protected.

Self-advocacy isn’t about confrontation…. it’s about reparenting for me.

It’s the adult me saying, “I’ve got you now.”

It’s standing in the truth that my needs and wants are valid and that I’m not being difficult, I’m being responsible for my peace.

Your peace matters. Your needs matter.

And the more you let yourself practice voicing them, the more your body learns that it’s safe to be seen, safe to take up space, and safe to be heard.

A Note on Self-Advocacy

Learning to advocate for yourself isn’t just about voicing needs … it’s about reclaiming your right to exist without apology.

For many of us, speaking up can stir old patterns such as people-pleasing, over-empathy, or guilt for taking up space. Our nervous system still remembers when being “good” felt safer than being honest.

But this is where the true work begins…

the work of inner liberation and truly living rather than hiding, pretending, or playing small until you lose your spark for life.

Healing happens when you give yourself permission to stand in your truth without guilt. To honor your peace, your space, and your needs, even when others feel uncomfortable by it.

It’s a journey and a process, but an essential one if we want to reach that space of inner freedom because our inner world will always reflect our outer reality.