You Are Allowed To Take Up Space

Lately I’ve been noticing all the tiny ways I shrink myself without even thinking about it. Maybe you know the feeling--hurrying through a set at the gym because someone else is waiting, or sliding your cart out of the way in the grocery store even when the other person doesn’t bother to say “excuse me.” These little moments add up. They teach us something about how we’ve been moving through the world.

For me, it hit in the most ordinary place--sitting at a bar waiting for my food. The place was packed, and there was a line of people behind me waiting to order. I realized I was leaning forward, shoulders tucked, trying not to be in the way. And then it clicked--I’m literally sitting in the bar seat. I’m allowed to be here. I’m not in the way.

So I sat up. Not aggressively, not performatively. Just fully. I let my spine lengthen, let my presence take its rightful shape. No apology. No shrinking. Just me, occupying the space that was already mine.

It made me think about how many of us were taught to move through life quietly, carefully, and in a way that keeps everyone else comfortable. We learn to smooth the edges, keep the peace, make ourselves small so no one feels disturbed by our existence. Sometimes we don’t even realize we’re doing it.

But here’s the truth I’m practicing:
Your presence doesn’t need permission.
Your existence isn’t an inconvenience.

If you’ve been leaning, crouching,  or softening yourself out of habit, I get it. I’ve lived there too. And I’m slowly learning that taking up space isn’t rude or selfish. It’s human. It’s necessary. It’s a way of saying “I belong here, too.”

So if you’re on this walk with me, maybe today you sit up a little straighter. Maybe you let yourself take that full breath. Maybe you stop apologizing for simply being where you are.

I’m learning this in real time, and you’re welcome to learn it alongside me.

If this resonates, share one small moment where you caught yourself shrinking, or where you chose to stand tall instead. Your story might be the reminder someone else needs.