I’ve been one to express myself, it has cost me a lot of peace of mind while trying to obtain one. One might say, but why don’t you let it be? The problem is; that letting it be isn’t an option too. I grew up quite restricted in many ways, especially verbally. I grew up learning that communication is a form of argument, having an opinion means you’re stubborn, and having a voice meant I was argumentative and controversial. So, now, I realize, why not speak up? A lot of people have died from not. A lot of mysterious deaths are as a result of not having spoken up consequently. But mehn, has it cost me more than I bargained for? Sure!
Life’s so unpredictable. In the bid to address a trauma, you may be acquiring another. Where do we draw the line? To speak or not speak? To air or not air?
Ultimately, I believe more in the type of people we speak our minds to versus having a voice. Ever heard that quote: it’s not what you say, but whom you say it to? You could be making a lot of sense to someone who’s always going to misunderstand you. Someone who’s put you in a box. At the end of the day, we can’t control who puts us in a box and why. But we can control who we feel the need to keep expressing our thoughts to.
Another way to diminish a possible cognitive dissonance from expressing oneself is to mind what we say. Not everyone can tolerate how expressive or raw our words may come out. Even though we may feel it, we don’t have to express it as is. Not to say we can’t be fully honest, but mindfulness allows us to watch how we say what we truly need to say to achieve the results we hope peace being the endpoint. You don’t want to say stuff and feel too open or agitated about that openness. Some things need tweaking, likewise, again, the type of people we choose to be that open with.
I believe that’s maturity in a nutshell.
Never stop expressing your thoughts, choose wisely whom you deem worthy to be talked to, and remember to tweak your words if need be, to certain people or about certain topics when expressing yourself.
Thank you for taking the time to read.