“The Version of Me That Kept Me Stuck (And Why I Stayed Her So Long)”
I used to think something was wrong with me.
Why couldn’t I speak up?
Why did I overthink everything?
Why did I stay in situations that didn’t feel right?
It felt like I was the problem.
But I wasn’t.
👉🏽 I was just being the version of me that learned how to survive.
💔 THE VERSION OF ME I USED TO BE
She was quiet.
Easygoing.
Understanding.
She didn’t ask for too much.
Didn’t make things harder than they needed to be.
Didn’t rock the boat.
And on the outside…
she looked like she had it all together.
But inside?
She was constantly overthinking.
Constantly adjusting.
Constantly putting herself last.
🧠 THE TRUTH I DIDN’T SEE
That version of me wasn’t weak.
👉🏽 She was protecting me.
She learned:
Staying quiet = staying safe
Keeping the peace = avoiding conflict
Shrinking = being accepted
And for a long time… it worked.
Until it didn’t.
🌿 WHY I STAYED HER FOR SO LONG
Because it was familiar.
Because it felt safer to stay small than risk being “too much.”
Because I didn’t trust myself enough to choose differently.
And honestly?
Because I didn’t even realize I had a choice.
✨ THE SHIFT
Everything started changing when I realized this:
👉🏽 I can honor who I was… without staying her.
I didn’t need to hate that version of me.
She got me here.
But she wasn’t meant to take me where I’m going.
💌 TO YOU
If you feel stuck…
If you feel like you keep repeating the same patterns…
If you feel like you’re holding yourself back but don’t know how to stop…
👉🏽 You’re not broken.
You’re just operating from a version of you that no longer fits.
And you’re allowed to outgrow her.
✍🏽 JOURNAL PROMPT
Sit with this:
“What version of me am I holding onto… even though it’s no longer serving me?”
If you’re ready to start shifting things gently…
This is where you begin reconnecting with yourself again.