The guilt you feel for setting boundaries

the guilt you feel for setting boundaries,

is a mirror for how deeply you were trained to self-abandon.

to keep the peace meant keeping quiet,

and closeness meant compliance,

love felt safer when you were agreeable.

so of course you flood with panic

when you choose yourself now.

though the discomfort doesn't mean you are doing something wrong,

only that you are doing something different.

and unfamiliar can feel unsafe, maybe dangerous,

when self-betrayal once kept you connected.

though guilt is often just an echo of old patterns.

a survival strategy that once protected you.

and you are not mean or unkind,

you are unlearning.

and you are allowed to stay connected,

without disappearing.