Finding Your Voice Is the Revolution, Not Overreaction

How many times have you been told to "calm down" or "stop being so sensitive"? If you’ve lost count, you’re not alone. Women are socialized from childhood to downplay our emotions, mute our reactions, and bite our tongues in the name of being likable. That isn’t kindness. It’s conditioning.

Let’s be honest: we’re not overreacting. We’re reacting appropriately to a world that constantly underestimates our boundaries, invalidates our pain, and labels our truth as drama. Finding your voice is not an overreaction - it's the act of unlearning silence, a silence that has protected everyone but us.

Finding Your Voice Means Knowing You're Not Overreacting - You're Just Reacting

We’ve been taught to second-guess ourselves at every turn. When we speak up, we're "too intense." When we cry, we're "too emotional." When we advocate for ourselves, we're "too much." But here’s the truth: being direct is not aggression. Being honest is not drama. And taking up space is not an invitation for critique.

Finding your voice means rejecting the gaslighting that tells us our truth is too loud, too raw, or too inconvenient. It means recognizing that discomfort isn't a sign you're doing something wrong - it's often a sign you're finally doing something right.

Why We're Taught to Be Quiet

From fairy tales to family dinners, girls are fed the same tired script: be sweet, be agreeable, be nice. Don’t raise your voice. Don’t rock the boat. Don’t make it awkward. This isn’t just about being polite - it’s about control.

We’re told that silence keeps the peace. But peace that demands your silence isn’t peace - it’s oppression in a prettier outfit.

Finding your voice means burning that script. Because the world doesn’t change by staying quiet. It changes when women decide they’ve been silent long enough.

What Unlearning Silence Looks Like

Unlearning silence means honoring the part of you that flinched when someone crossed a line. The part that cried during meetings. The part that snapped when pushed. That wasn’t you being dramatic. That was you reaching your edge. That was your body screaming what your words were taught to hide.

Here’s what unlearning silence looks like:

• Speaking up even when your voice shakes

• Saying no without explaining yourself

• Setting boundaries without apology

• Crying in public without shame

• Calling people out - even if it ruins the vibe

We’re told to stay small to keep the peace. But peace without justice is just silence with a prettier name.

Real Talk: That moment when you finally tell someone they hurt you? That’s unlearning silence. That time you left a job, a relationship, a friendship that drained you? That’s unlearning silence. That time you asked a doctor to take you seriously? That’s not overreacting. That’s self-respect in action.

Unlearning silence is sacred. It’s loud. It’s messy. It’s necessary.

Take Up Space

Every time a woman raises her voice - literally or metaphorically - she carves out space not just for herself, but for everyone who’s been told they’re too much.

Let’s say this together:

• I am not too emotional.

• I am not overreacting.

• I am not dramatic.

• I am just done being quiet about things that hurt.

Start small. Send the message you’ve been afraid to send. Say what you mean. Don’t edit the truth to make it palatable. Take up more space - verbally, emotionally, physically.

Because finding your voice isn’t a trend. It’s a revolution.

— The PMS Log

Citation: Sharma, M. & Khanna, A. (2021). Female sexual orgasm in the Indian context. Indian Journal of Health, Sexuality & Culture, 7(2), 9‑16. Available at: https://ijhsc.info/index.php/ijhsc/article/view/163