Yaowen, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that we are all different and we all handle things differently. I agree. We do what works for us, and there are different paths to self empowerment and self respect. Imo, its all good as long as we don't hurt others. I think it is possible to speak up without hurting someone (imo, its important for me to do so, maybe bc I was so silent in the past and silenced in some instances too). Not everyone shares that sentiment. That's ok. Do what works for u.

Yeah I think when I wrote this I was pretty heated and very upset. Some of it had to do with my mother too. She just didn't get why I was upset, which just upset me more. I had to get away from her, and I did.

Putting things in perspective is good, imo, too, and giving things space. Validating ourselves is a very good thing too. That's something I haven't always gotten. So I'm learning to do it for myself.