An I Am Safe Now Reflection For a long time, I thought love was something that had to be earned. Earned through patience. Earned through understanding. Earned through proving my worth. Earned through becoming the version of myself I thought other people wanted. I didn't realize how exhausting that was until I began healing. Many people who struggle with self-worth, relationship anxiety, people-pleasing, or emotional wounds carry a quiet belief that love must be worked for con