Hey everyone!
I’ve been thinking about how sometimes when we go through tough situations- with friends, family, relationships, or even at school/work… It’s so easy to start doubting ourselves.
Like… “Maybe I’m just being too sensitive.”
“Maybe it’s my fault for feeling this way.”
“Maybe I’m just overreacting.”
But honestly, not everything is “just in our heads.”
Sometimes, the way we’re treated really isn’t okay , even if the people around us try to downplay it.
Being belittled, constantly criticized, ignored, made to feel small, scared, or unwanted - these are real things that affect how we see ourselves. It’s not overreacting to feel hurt and it’s not overreacting to want to be treated with basic respect and care.
If you’re wondering if something is “bad enough” to matter, please know that *your feelings already matter.*And you definitely don’t need permission from anyone else to take your own experiences seriously.
I’d love to hear from you:
- Have you ever doubted your own feelings in a situation?
- How did you figure out if it was “not okay”?
- What helped you (or what do you wish could have helped)?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
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Thanks for bringing this up! I do doubt my own feelings in some situations, especially when it involves friends who may at times downplay my feelings, though they are not aware of it.
One of the more recent events was that I felt like I wanted to join a CCA in my school that I was really passionate about. I asked a friend who was in the school a year longer than me and taking the same course for advice that if I joined, would it be possible to cope with the workload the coming semester, and that I was really passionate about joining. He told me that joining was pointless because it will not contribute much to my portfolio and that it was a waste of time, and he told me I should prioritize my grades and not join something that would take up so much time.. As he was someone that had really good grades and a nice portfolio, I started doubting my own passion and thought that what he said was true and maybe that pursuing things I liked was the wrong thing and I should prioritize my grades.
I figured that it was “not okay” when it stayed in my mind longer than it should, and I had an uncomfortable gut feeling. That’s when I took a step back and reflected, and I realised that I felt like my feelings were just completely ignored by my friend, though I knew he came out of good intentions since he understood that grades were important in my course.Thus what helped was that I reframed my mindset to seeing that whatever my friend said was a suggestion and that ultimately, the choice was mine to make. Additionally, I had a conversation with him about it and he apologised as he was not aware that what he did hurt my feelings.
Love to hear what others had experienced and what helped them in those situations!! 
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Hi @LitCandle1505 !
Thank you so much for sharing this so openly! i agree, it’s not easy to catch ourselves in those moments of self-doubt, especially when it involves people whose opinions we value. You tuned into your gut feeling, paused, reflected, and found clarity, that’s a powerful act of emotional attunement!
I also appreciate how you were able to differentiate between your friend’s intention and the impact it had on you. That takes maturity and compassion, both towards yourself and your friend. It sounds like your reframing helped you reclaim your agency in the situation, and having that honest conversation probably strengthened your friendship too.
I’m wondering, when you notice yourself starting to doubt your own feelings in other situations, what helps you get grounded again or reconnect with your inner voice? And have there been times where honoring your own passion, even when others didn’t quite understand, led to something meaningful for you?
Hey @cottonsoul,
Thanks for the kind words 
I feel that what really helps me to reconnect with my inner voice whenever I start doubting myself is to get myself out of the situation and to face my feelings and reflect on why I’m feeling this way to see the situation more clearly and be aware of why I’m doubting myself. Sometimes journaling helps to organise my thoughts too! Additionally, I find being kind to myself really helps in affirming that what I’m feeling matters, no matter what others say.
Idk if this is considered aligning with passion 
, but one moment I had was my decision to take a break from school to sort out my life, as I had a lot of complicated emotions and thoughts going through my head and I felt that I needed a break to sort them out. At the time, my friends that I told all thought that it was a bad idea, as they felt I’ll be one year behind my cohort. However, I knew that I would not be productive and won’t be able to do my best if I didn’t sort out my emotions. From this, I grew, learnt more about myself, and learnt how to cope with my emotions, which I felt was really meaningful for me. And though I’m one year behind my cohort mates, I knew that despite this, I gained more from this break.
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