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Creating Space for Yourself in Relationships
A Personal Journey Into the Power of Saying “This is Where I Begin.”
I used to think that being a good daughter, a loyal friend, or a devoted sibling meant always being available. I thought love looked like dropping everything when someone called, answering messages immediately, staying silent to keep the peace, and making space for others even when I had none left for myself.
It took years and a few very honest moments in the mirror for me to realize that love without boundaries isn’t love at all. It’s martyrdom in disguise. And it slowly chips away at who you are until there’s nothing left but resentment, exhaustion, and a strange hollow ache you can’t quite name.
My name is still saved in a few people’s phones as “The One Who’s Always There.” It used to make me proud. Now, it just makes me pause.
The Lie I Believed
Growing up, I absorbed this silent script: If you love someone, you owe them everything: your time, energy, emotional availability, and forgiveness, even when the wounds haven’t healed.
Especially in South Asian culture, and I know many others too, family bonds are revered, sometimes to the point of suffocation. There’s an expectation that you will show up, no matter…
