Embracing my gentle energy
Shy, quiet introverts like me often get "lost" in social groups: Overlooked and ignored at best, bullied at worst. Over time, I learned to accept my sensitive nature and stop trying to fit in.
Until just a couple of years ago, I spent much of my life feeling deep shame due to multiple adverse experiences in early life.
One of the ways that shame manifested was my body language and how I interacted with others. Often, I avoided speaking up, and when I did, I tended to speak hesitantly and softly, hunching my shoulders and avoiding eye contact.
When I was a young woman, I would use …