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Don't let anyone invalidate your feelings

Never allow anyone to invalidate or minimize how you feel.

If you feel something, those feelings are real to you and ought to be respected. No one else can know exactly how you feel because no other person has been in your very shoes!

No one else lives in your body. No one else sees life through your eyes. No one has the same interests, fears, quirks, and goals. No one shares your personality. No one has lived through the same experiences you have.

That's why no one has the power to dictate or judge what you feel. Your feelings matter; never should they be dismissed or mocked. You deserve to be heard because your feelings are inherently valid. Don't allow anyone to make you believe otherwise!

People are entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts. Though they may offer well-intentioned advice, they don't get to decide whether your feelings are justified in a given situation -- no matter how much life experience/wisdom they may claim to have.

No two people are exactly alike, meaning no two people could perceive the world in exactly the same way. Whatever excites, saddens, or worries you may not be the case for your partner, cousin, or boss, but that in no way makes those feelings any less legitimate.

You have a right to express how you feel -- whether it's by calling someone over the phone, writing a poem, or painting a picture. Keeping those feelings bottled up will do you no good. If people try to discourage you from sharing those feelings with them, they don't deserve to be in your life. A good person listens to and empathizes with you.

Your feelings are just as important as anyone else's. Never be afraid to say how you really feel.

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