Let’s talk about that feeling.
When something feels off.
When your body tenses.
When a little voice inside you whispers, “This isn’t right…”
And then—just as quickly—your brain starts second-guessing:
“Maybe I’m being too sensitive.”
“Maybe I misunderstood.”
“Maybe I’m just overreacting.”
If you’ve lived through medical gaslighting, chronic symptoms, trauma, or identity-based oppression…
This is not just familiar.
It’s habitual.
🖤 Why We Doubt Ourselves
We’ve been taught to ignore the very systems designed to protect us—our instincts, our boundaries, our bodies. We’ve been told to defer to “experts.” To be polite. To stay small. To keep the peace, even when we’re in pain.
So when something feels wrong, our first reaction often isn’t clarity—it’s confusion.
And that confusion keeps us stuck in freeze.
Quiet.
Tolerating.
Overriding.
🔥 So What’s the Difference Between Discomfort and a Red Flag?
Let me share the distinction I return to again and again—not just in my personal life, but in the work I teach through The Audacious Patient.
💥 Discomfort = Growth tension
- It feels unfamiliar, tender, or activating.
- You may feel stretched, but still safe enough to stay.
- You can breathe. You’re curious. Your voice is accessible.
- You might be facing a truth—but you’re not being erased.
Example: setting a boundary for the first time. Going to a new provider. Speaking your truth.
🚩 Red Flag = Safety breach
- You feel frozen, small, or unseen.
- Your body contracts or goes numb.
- Your breath shortens, thoughts scatter, and your voice disappears.
- You feel like you have to shrink to stay safe.
Example: being dismissed by a doctor (again). A partner invalidating your pain. A system asking for more than you have to give.
🌿 What If You’re Not Sure?
Pause.
Breathe.
Ask yourself:
“Is this discomfort because I’m expanding…
or because I’m abandoning myself again?”
Your body knows.
It’s been tracking everything.
The signals are there—not always loud, but always real.
✨ You Don’t Have to Guess Anymore
If you’ve spent your life doubting yourself, overriding your instincts, or wondering whether you’re just “too much”—please hear me:
You’re not too much.
You’re not too late.
You’re not imagining it.
You were never meant to carry it all alone.
💌 Want Support Rebuilding That Trust?
The Art of Sovereignty is a self-paced workbook I created to help you reconnect with your body’s wisdom, set boundaries that feel safe and sustainable, and stop spiraling every time something feels off.
It’s trauma-informed, nervous-system-friendly, and made for people who are tired of pushing through everything alone.
You deserve to feel safe in your own body again.
Let’s start there.