🛡️ day 4: the protector

the protector is often the voice of your shadow, and its main priority is to keep you safe. it might sound like “don’t wear that, people will laugh,” “you shouldn’t share this, it’s not ready,” or “they’re staring at you because they’re judging you.” it creates stories without real evidence to keep you in your comfort zone, favoring what’s familiar because anything outside of that can feel unsafe.

it doesn’t introduce itself as “protection,” it shows up as patterns: overthinking before you speak, diluting yourself so you don’t say the wrong thing, people-pleasing to avoid conflict, shutting down when something feels overwhelming, or trying to control how you’re perceived.

it’s the part of you that says, “if i do this (or don’t do this)… i’ll be okay.”

and truthfully, at some point in your life, it probably did protect you. maybe it kept you from overreacting, navigating a difficult situation, or staying safe in an environment that was hard to adapt in. so it’s not necessarily the enemy, but when left unchecked, it can keep you from taking risks and slowly disconnect you from your self-trust.

for example, if you always listen when it says “don’t share your art,” you start reinforcing the belief that you’re not good enough. i notice this in myself a lot as an artist, but instead of letting that voice control my decisions, i’ve learned to re-frame it: “my work will be appreciated by whoever it’s meant for.”

the protector will always be there, but it’s up to you to decide what it gets to protect and what it no longer needs to control.

⚔️ exercise: name your protector

give your protector a name or character. it could be: