Sam Thompson-Young

I don’t think people realise how much of your personality can disappear when you don’t feel emotionally safe around someone. I become quieter. More careful with my words. Less playful, less expressive, less willing to let myself be seen. You’ll still know me. You’ll still recognize my face, hear my voice, and know the basic version of who I am. But you won’t know the version of me that comes out when I feel completely safe. The loud, silly, affectionate, unfiltered version that doesn’t have to think twice before being herself. What looks like a change in personality is simply a person becoming smaller because they no longer feel safe enough to be fully themselves.