If it feels safe for you,
Gently close your eyes or you can just soften your gaze.
Take a slow breath in through your nose and a steady breath out through your mouth.
Let your breath remind your body you are here.
You are allowed to be here.
This meditation is for anyone who learned to stay small,
To quiet their needs or soften their voice,
To make themselves easier for others to handle.
Staying small at one point kept you safe.
It helped you belong.
It helped you survive.
But what once protected you may now be limiting you.
And it's okay to outgrow that.
Notice what it feels like in your body when you imagine shrinking yourself.
Perhaps there's some tightness,
Maybe some heaviness or just exhaustion.
Staying small for too long doesn't just dim your light,
It drains your life force.
Your nervous system feels it.
Your body feels it.
You were never meant to disappear inside your own life.
Self-worth is not something that you earn.
It is not created by approval,
Achievement,
Productivity,
Or sacrifice.
It is not dependent on how much you give,
How well you perform,
Or how carefully you shape yourself to fit what other people expect.
You were worthy before anyone had an opinion of you,
Before you learned what was praised or punished,
Before you learned to read the room and adjust yourself accordingly.
Your worth does not rise and fall based on someone else's mood,
Their needs,
Or their understanding of you.
You do not become more worthy by overdoing,
Over giving,
Or over explaining.
And you do not lose worth when you rest,
Say no,
Or choose yourself.
Notice if your body has been carrying the belief that you must earn love by being useful or staying small to stay safe.
Let that belief gently soften now.
You are worthy even when you disappoint someone.
You are worthy even when you are misunderstood.
You are worthy even when you stop contorting yourself to fit into spaces that were never meant to hold you.
Your worth is not confirmed by external validation.
It is not granted by permission.
It is inherent,
Woven into your being.
You are deeply worthy as you are in this breath,
In this body,
In this moment.
Let your nervous system hear this truth.
Nothing needs to be proven.
Nothing needs to be earned.
You already belong.
Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly.
With each inhale,
Allow your chest to gently expand,
Not in force,
But in permission.
With each exhale,
Release the belief that you must shrink to stay safe.
There is room for you here.
Now allow these affirmations to echo the truth your body has just heard.
You can repeat these silently or softly out loud,
Letting them land,
Not rushing,
Not forcing.
I am worthy simply because I exist.
I am worthy simply because I exist.
My worth is not dependent on approval or understanding.
My worth is not dependent on approval or understanding.
I do not need to earn love by overgiving or overdoing.
I do not need to earn love by overgiving or overdoing.
My needs are valid and deserve to be honored.
My needs are valid and deserve to be honored.
My voice matters,
Even when it feels uncomfortable to speak.
My voice matters,
Even when it feels uncomfortable to speak.
I no longer shrink to make anyone else more comfortable.
I no longer shrink to make anyone else more comfortable.
I have permission to take up space in my own life.
I don't need permission to take up space in my own life.
I don't need permission to take up space in my own life.
I let go of the belief that staying small keeps me safe.
I release the belief that staying small keeps me safe.
I have always belonged.
I am allowed to belong without self-abandonment.
I have always belonged.
And I am allowed to belong without self-abandonment.
I honor who I am becoming.
I honor who I am becoming.
I always have been and always will be worthy.
I always have been and I always will be worthy.
If you feel any emotions rising up,
Just let them move through you.
This is your nervous system,
Your body,
Recognizing deep truths.
Take a slow deep breath in and a big exhale out.
Feel yourself present,
Steady,
Rooted in your own body.
You are not too much.
You have never been too much.
And you are not asking for too much.
You are remembering what has always been yours,
What has always been deeply true.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes and return your awareness to the room.
Carry this with you.
Your worth is not negotiable.
You are allowed to take up space.
You always have belonged fully.
Be well.
