I'm Still Scared to Be Seen — But I'm Showing Up Anyway
June 09, 2025
The fear of being visible doesn’t always disappear, even when I know it’s safe. But I’m not letting that fear run my life anymore.
I’ve made progress.
I’ve opened up more.
I’ve been more honest, more vulnerable, more me — and that’s a win.
But I’m still scared.
And not in a dramatic way — in a quiet, lingering, nervous-system-deep way.
Like there’s a voice waiting behind every bold step, whispering:
“You’re being too much.”
“People are going to think you’re crazy.”
“You’ll bring shame on your family.”
“You’re embarrassing yourself.”
🧠 Logically, I Know…
- If I never reveal myself, I’ll never be known.
- If I keep hiding, I’ll keep feeling alone.
- If I wait until I feel “ready,” I’ll wait forever.
But fear doesn’t live in logic.
It lives in the old voices — the ones I didn’t choose but still carry.
👤 The Critical Voice
It’s not really me.
It’s a blend of my mother’s shaming voice, society’s discomfort with emotion, and a world that trained me to shrink.
It’s the voice of the internalised parent, not the one I’m becoming.
And the more I see that, the more I realise:
This fear isn’t mine — it was installed.
And I don’t have to obey it anymore.
🥊 I’m Still Showing Up
Even with the fear.
Even with the tightness in my chest.
Even with the part of me that still flinches every time I tell the truth.
Because healing isn’t the absence of fear — it’s not letting fear decide for me.
And every time I post something honest,
Every time I speak without performing,
Every time I sit in the discomfort and stay soft instead of shutting down…
I’m proving to myself that the fear doesn’t get the final say.
💬 Final Thought
Maybe the fear never fully goes away.
Maybe I’ll always have that whisper in the background.
But I’m no longer living by its rules.
I’m building a new voice — one that says:
“You’re not too much.
You’re just finally letting yourself be seen.”
And that’s enough.
I’m enough.
Even while scared,
I’m still showing up.