Don’t sacrifice yourself to keep the peace, because peace at any cost is no peace at all. Every time you suppress your truth, you pay a price—your mental health, your physical health, your emotional well-being, and ultimately, the life you were meant to live. Honor your truth. Listen to your emotions. Feel them. Process them. Act on them when necessary.

From the moment we’re born, we’re influenced directly and indirectly to think a certain way about who we are, what we should be and what we should have. The family home, educational institutions, organized religious groups, sports clubs, social circles and workplaces are just some of the many spheres of influence. And in the digital age where our screens follow us everywhere, what was once our reprieve from the outside world —alone time— is chock full of messages about how we should think, look and feel if we want to be “liked”, “happy” or “successful.”