Nothing is ever wasted - especially not passion and creativity. Those qualities are yours forever, ready to be channeled in new directions. Change takes courage, but staying somewhere harmful takes even more
The world needs more light and beauty, and clearly you have so much to offer. But your wellbeing matters most. Consider this: maybe stepping back isn't abandoning your passion, but rather protecting and nurturing it. Like a garden that needs pruning to grow stronger. The skills and creativity you've developed are part of who you are now! No one can take that away. Your artistic spirit will find new ways to shine, whether in this community or somewhere entirely new. Trust your instincts about what feels healthy and right for you. What matters is moving forward with intention and self-compassion. Perhaps this is an opportunity to explore new creative territories while keeping what serves you from the old. Take gentle steps. Be patient with yourself as you navigate this transition. The right path will reveal itself. What kind of environment helps your creativity flourish most naturally?
Hey friend. Short take here - passions should lift us up, not drag us down. Your creativity is yours to keep, no matter what path you choose. Sometimes a fresh start is exactly what the soul needs
Think of this as evolution rather than abandonment. Your passion helped shape who you are today. Those gifts are yours forever. But just as artists switch mediums or writers explore new genres, we can redirect our creative energy. Sometimes distance provides clarity. You might find fresh inspiration in unexpected places. The community aspect can wait until you feel ready (if ever). Being a loner is okay too if you're comfortable with it
@bira I agree with this so much! Distance creates clarity. Sometimes stepping back from a passion reveals whether it still aligns with who we're becoming. Your creativity found beautiful expression through this medium, but perhaps it's ready for new channels. Consider this a transformation rather than an ending. Skills and confidence gained aren't lost when we change direction, they become foundation for new growth. There's profound wisdom in knowing when to let go and when to hold on differently. Nothing meaningful is truly lost. IT'S ALL IN YOU!!!!
@OliviaC Oh hi! You actually articulated everything I wanted to say way more clear. Spot on!
Hi,
I believe there is no right or wrong answer to continue your passion or leave it. It completely depends on how you feel about it, what is the scenario you are into and what is your motives?
You need to pay attention to yourself? do you know what you need? Can you just weigh what matters to you more passion or without it? you just need to slow down first, address your emotions, feelings with a therapist and then sit down understand what do you want. start with journaling which will help you to pen down your feelings everyday, write about your passion and how do you feel with it and without it. If by journaling you feel you want to continue your passion then you need to talk to your therapist of how to deal with the negativism, how to handle it all. You will never live your life passion unless you embrace the discomfort which comes along with it. This means you continue to follow your passion if it really means to you a lot and manage your feelings. Remember your success can create stir of wave in others life like insecurity, jealousy, may be feel threatened because of your success. You only have to learn to avoid these people or atleast limit your exposure to them and their conversations.
If your passion is turning out to be toxic and is impacting your physical, mental health then it is important you put a pause to what you are working currently and see with that passion if you can do something else where you have limited exposure to such toxic people.
I also want you to reflect on the time when people abused you, sabotaged you:
When you are in bad place with your mental health or your confidence is low or you have self esteem issues then taking criticism can be extremely difficult and damaging. This put you in further fragile state. Understand why are you feeling a sensitive connection to your self worth at this time. Even in healthy space i agree it is hard not to get affected by criticism. Receiving criticism when you are already criticising yourself feels like validation that you are failure. I want you to reflect on to understand what affected you so much from that criticism from the people, what sabotaged you. This will help you give a clarity of whether to continue with passion or stop it. With a therapist help you can learn to handle such toxic people through cultivating a strong sense of self.
@Veena Choudhary Sorry for interrupting, but how do you actually create a boundary and maintain it? I always was the kind to be pushed by others and I've never learned how to have healthy boundaries
You need to first reflect on what is essential for your emotional well being. Make list of all the actions, behaviour which makes you feel uncomfortable, sad, dejected. now understand what affects you a lot and what is still manageable and you can process it. Clarifying these distinctions will help you communicate them with confidence. Assertively communicate to those people that you will not entertain such behaviour in the future. Keep repeating those boundaries till person understands, acknowledges it. Be consistent and strong enough to state it and not accept the behaviour. Do not be flexible or bend over it. Direct and consistent approach will also signal to them that your boundaries are not questionable. There would be individuals who will still play with your emotions and would trigger anger, frustration and weaken your confidence. The more emotionally reactive you would be the more they get the chance to hurt you. so practice mindfulness just breathing in and out for 5 min to calm you down in tense situation and then speak out assertively without engaging into debates with them. Just speak and walk out.
@Veena Choudhary Got it! Thank you so much. I will try to do all these this week
@bira Hi! Don't apologize. Thank you for the suggestion about therapy. I've actually considered it before but I'm quite hesitant. In my experience, whenever I try to establish boundaries, people tend to either ignore them completely or get offended. I've tried different approaches, being direct, being subtle, even writing things down, but somehow it always ends up with me feeling guilty or being manipulated into backing down. How do you handle the guilt that comes with setting boundaries? It's especially difficult with family members who are used to having unlimited access to your time and emotional resources. I wonder if I'm being too sensitive or if my boundaries are unreasonable. I guess what I'm really asking is: how do you know if your boundaries are healthy versus when you're just putting up walls?
@bira You make some really valid points. I suppose I've been avoiding therapy because it feels like admitting defeat somehow. The language analogy really resonates with me.
@John Turner Hi there! Sorry if this is unrelated but I advise you to seek therapy and actually training with a therapist to eliminate these patterns
@John Turner I completely understand your hesitation about therapy, but I want to emphasize how transformative it can be. Through my own journey with therapy, I learned that boundary-setting is about understanding your own worth and values. A good therapist won't just give you advice; they'll help you develop practical tools and strategies specific to your situation. Think of it like learning a new language, at first it feels awkward and unnatural, but with practice and proper guidance, it becomes second nature. The guilt you're experiencing is actually a common response, especially when you've been conditioned to prioritize others' needs above your own.