@opusreality: Setting boundaries doesn't cost you real connections; it shows you which ones weren't real. People will say you're pushing away friends, missing opportunities, and damaging relationships. But this couldn't be further from the truth. Real friends don't vanish when you voice your needs. True opportunities don't dissolve when you protect your peace. Genuine relationships don't crumble when you express your limits. Instead, you lose the people who were never truly there for you. The manipulators who twisted your reality. The narcissists who fed off your kindness. The controllers who resented your independence. The emotional vampires who drained your energy. Healthy connections don't ever require you to shrink yourself. If setting boundaries makes someone disappear, they were never meant to stay in your story.