Peeling off the mask

As children we are raised to be pleasers and peacemakers. Over the course of our life we add different masks to who we are. The different layers that we have of masks never allow us to be completely at ease with the real and true person who is underneath all of those masks. Whether it be the mask of being a parent or being a spouse or a son or daughter. We have masks of the person that we are at our jobs and with our different friends and family. There are all these different people that we are supposed to be and yet the world tells us that we need to be our authentic and real self. which makes it really difficult because we have never had the opportunity to be the real us! It's frustrating and exhausting! 

This weekend, I'm taking advantage of some time that I need to figure out who I am again. Over the course of the last two weeks I have been thinking more and more about being strong enough to say what I am thinking without any fear of reactions or repercussions. I've realized that I have been living out of fear for so long I don't know how to be me. This makes me really sad for the 22 year-old that I used to be who was such a strong-willed badass and she sacrificed so much for everyone else. She got lost in the chaos. So, I'm taking this weekend to be on my own and do a lot of thinking. Thinking about what I want, what I need and what I know to be true. So in essence I'm peeling off all of the masks. I'm not necessarily finding myself I'm just peeling off the layers that have suffocated me for too damn many years.