Reciprocal | Journal Junction

A Story of Non-Confrontation

Journal Junction Prompt For The Month Of May

Sahil Patel

Published in

Reciprocal

7 min readMay 4, 2024

Photo by Adrian "Rosco" Stef on Unsplash

Today I am sharing one of my journal entry that I have written down earlier in my life that helped me later on to understand my non-confrontation nature.

Dear Journal,

Tonight as I sit back to write I remember that one incident of my life. I recall all those moments when I knew I should speak up but I kept quite.

I still remember every small detail of that horrible day at my school. It is still intact as it is in the corner of my mind. The day when I got bullied in my school. It wasn’t just kids who made me feel too small. There was one teacher who used to have it out for me. No matter what I did, I felt like I could never do anything good as per her perspective. It was not like I was an average student. I used to be in the top three spots on the list of toppers. I have many teachers with whom I have shared many great memories of my life. However, I don’t know what’s the problem with her that she always looking for a chance to scold me in front of everyone.

I have never had the guts to speak up and defend myself despite knowing that I was right. I just let it happen the day after day. This is not just one incident where I kept quiet. I had many such incidents in my life when I should speak up but I kept quiet. In relationships as well, sometimes I badly want to confront the other person for their misdeeds but never dare to go and confront them.

There’s this person from my past who hurt me. They did something that made me feel awful, but I just couldn’t bring myself to tell them how much they hurt me. Instead, I cut them out of my life completely. It felt like the only way to protect myself from getting hurt again.

Today I want to make a promise to myself that I will speak up. I do not want to hide anymore. I want to be real. I want to learn to be honest with myself. When I don’t like anything, I will speak up. I know that by being honest about who I am, I can build stronger connections with people who really get me.So, Journal, I’m inviting you along for the ride.

Let’s explore what it means to be vulnerable, to face our fears head-on. Together, we’ll discover how being honest about our struggles can actually bring us closer to others.

I want you to know you’re not alone. Take a moment to think about the things you’ve kept hidden, and consider what might happen if you shared them with someone you trust. It’s scary, but it’s also incredibly freeing. When you keep feelings inside yourself, you will feel that you are carrying a heavy burden on yourself. Let’s embrace our imperfections and see where it takes us.

With Courage

Sahil Patel

This week’s prompt for Journal Junction is,

Describe a quality or weakness about yourself that you have never discussed with anyone. It might be a mistake you’ve committed, an uncertainty, or a worry. Now think about what would happen if you disclosed it. How could opening up about this private side of you help you develop or grow in relationships with others? Think about the impact of being vulnerable for a bit, then think about expressing your experience in our journal section. Your bravery may encourage people to accept their own flaws and build stronger bonds."Consider a quality or weakness about yourself that you have never discussed with anyone. It might be a mistake you’ve committed, an uncertainty, or a worry.

Here you can learn more about our new column Journal Junction.

Introducing Journal Junction

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