the silence used to be a threat, a vast empty space where every fear could echo and magnify, filling my ears with a buzzing that was almost physical. now, it's more like a deep breath, a space that just… exists, and i can actually feel the warmth spreading through my chest when i settle into it. it’s strange how something that once felt like a prison now feels like the widest, most open place, even when the world outside still tries to pull me back to that familiar clench in my stomach, but it doesn't quite take hold anymore.