It’s Okay

It’s okay to be quiet.

It’s okay to spend a conversation not speaking. It’s okay to say only a few words. It’s okay to be frustrated when you’re bullied about it. It’s okay to be the one petting the dog at the party.

It’s okay to prefer to be alone. It’s okay to warm up slowly. It’s okay to be “bad” at talking, to stutter, to speak irregularly, to forget words. If you communicate via text, sign, an AAC, or non-word sounds, that’s okay too.

You don’t owe anyone your words. You owe yourself the energy you save. You owe yourself comfort. You owe yourself the joy of falling into bed in a cool, dark, quiet room and smiling. You don’t owe anyone progress, improvement, or mouth-words at all.

It’s okay to be quiet. It’s okay to be you.

It’s okay to be loud.

It’s okay to be excited during conversations. It’s okay to infodump. It’s okay to be frustrated when you’re scolded about it. It’s okay to talk to everyone at the party.

It’s okay to prefer being with other people. It’s okay if you instantly want to make friends. It’s okay if you can’t control your volume, if you repeat yourself, if you have trouble telling when it’s your turn to talk. If you have vocal tics, if you have big gestures, if you have emotional outbursts, that’s okay too.

You don’t owe anyone your silence. You owe yourself the energy you create. You owe yourself comfort. You owe yourself the joy of jumping and yelling and singing at the top of your lungs. You don’t owe anyone the right to control your voice, your hands, your body.

It’s okay to be loud. It’s okay to be you.