Take Up Space: You Belong Here

For so many of us, life has taught us to shrink. To speak softer. To say less. To fold ourselves neatly into corners where we won’t disturb anyone. Maybe you were told you were “too much.” Too loud. Too emotional. Too needy. Maybe you learned early that safety meant invisibility.

And so, you began to disappear.

But here’s the truth: you are NOT here to be small.

Taking up space is not arrogance—it’s acknowledgment. It’s saying: I exist. I matter. My presence has weight, and my story belongs in this world.

Why We Shrink

We shrink because of conditioning. Because society tells women to be “nice,” men to be “stoic,” survivors to “get over it,” dreamers to “be realistic.” We shrink because we fear rejection. We shrink because somewhere deep inside, we wonder if we are worthy of the space we take up.

But shrinking doesn’t keep us safe—it keeps us stuck.

The Radical Act of Expansion

To take up space is to challenge every voice that ever told you that you shouldn’t.

It’s raising your hand in the meeting even when your heart pounds. It’s wearing the outfit you love, even if someone thinks it’s “too bold.” It’s sharing your story without apologizing for how long it takes or how heavy it lands. It’s saying no when you don’t want to do something. It’s saying yes when you do.

Expansion is not about domination—it’s about embodiment. When you fully occupy your own life, you create permission for others to do the same.

What Taking Up Space Really Means

Taking up space doesn’t mean drowning others out. It doesn’t mean inflating your worth above theirs. It means recognizing that your existence is already valid. You don’t need to earn a seat at the table—you already deserve to sit.

Your laughter is allowed. Your grief is allowed. Your boundaries are allowed. Your voice, in its natural pitch, tone, and volume, is allowed.

Every inch of you belongs here.

You Are Not a Burden

One of the deepest fears people carry is being “too much” for others. But hear me: you are not too much. You are exactly enough. The people who tell you otherwise are often the ones who fear their own bigness.

Taking up space might make others uncomfortable—not because you are wrong, but because they are not used to witnessing someone who refuses to dim. That discomfort isn’t your responsibility.

A Gentle Invitation

Today, I invite you to practice taking up space in one small way. Speak a thought you usually hold back. Walk a little taller. Wear something that makes you feel radiant. Share your story without minimizing it.

Every time you expand, you break an old pattern. Every time you step forward, you give your younger self permission to breathe.

You are not here to fit into the margins of someone else’s life. You are here to write your own paragraph, your own chapter, your own book.

So take up space.

Take up your space. The world needs you fully present.