this is free therapy and you’re not even using it #selfworth #selfcare

Here is a take on social media that you have never heard before, unless, of course, you follow me already, in which case you've definitely heard it before, because this is the shit that I've been screaming for the last three years. I want you to think about something. Being yourself, right? What the fuck does that really mean? Well, I'm going to give you a little spoiler alert. The way that you be in your life, out in the world, is really just a system of habits. Habits that you started forming when you were young. And when you were young, you probably also went through some bullshit, some trauma, some nonsense. At one point, you were either probably told you were too much or not enough, and you got really good very early on at changing into whatever you thought you needed to be to make the people around you happy. But eventually, once you start putting all those things in a box to hide them from people because, God forbid, they see the real you, those changes stick and they start to become habit. Okay, so now you are an adult and you're being yourself, or so you think, in your real life. And you might even identify as a people pleaser and you're that, you know, you can at least describe that label to yourself. Perhaps you're not even realizing yet, you don't even realize yet, like, oh gosh, the fact that I prioritize everybody's needs before my own and I'm terrified of being abandoned or disappointing others, or I'm always going to make sure the needs of others are met before my own. Yeah, that's called people pleasing, sweet babe. And then you come on TikTok and maybe you're just scrolling, or maybe you've tried to make a video before and it's just felt god-awful, or maybe you make a lot of videos, and maybe you're actually pretty prominent on this platform. I don't know who's watching this video, but whoever you are, it's been hard. It's been awkward. It doesn't make really a lot of sense to you why when you hit the big red button you feel like you have never spoken the English language before. What's missing in the equation that's out there and the equation that's in here? People, right? I know you're afraid that people are going to see your posts and they're going to say mean shit, or you're afraid that no one's going to see your posts and no one's going to say anything because that would affirm and confirm your worst fear that you don't matter and that nobody cares. But the biggest difference is that there's nobody around you when you record this content, which is why when you hit the big red button you have no idea who the fuck you are. Because, let's go back, the habitual self that you've been being is based upon the needs of others and whatever you perceive you're receiving from them in terms of stimuli and cues, right? But here I'm alone, right? I'm in my office. I'm standing on my standing fucking desk with my walking treadmill. What does all this add up to? Well, I'm Justin Shuman. Shuman's in my last name. And I am here to teach you the inner and the outer work of being seen, of showing the fuck up in your own life. And I am telling you, mark my fucking words, you should be using direct-to-camera talking content, just like I am right now, to practice being yourself. Because, since there's no one here to subconsciously for my terrified, insecure, fight, flight, fawn, freeze body that's constantly in dysregulation because who among us is not, I'm not being a version of myself for anyone right now except for me. And again, that's why when you hit the beggar button you have no idea who to be because you've shown up for others in your own life for so goddamn long. If this video dragged you for filth a little bit and you're like, holy shit, I want to take up space in my life, I want to stop hiding, I want to find my personality again, hit follow. I'm here teaching every single day. Free value. Ask anybody who's ever followed me before. I have no idea how you would do that but say hello in the comments and I will tell you. People who have followed me before will tell you. I don't give up. I will never stop. I've been sharing this message for years before authenticity on social media was the buzzword of everything. I've been saying you don't need to niche down. I've been saying you are interesting. You're enough. You matter. And you might not believe that right now. Follow me for a little bit. I promise it'll be a lot easier to believe.