I always thought trust issues came from being paranoid. I didn’t realize mine came from being conditioned to question my own reality.

My last relationship was full of “small things” that added up. He’d tell white lies, lie about harmless stuff, change stories mid-sentence, and then tell me I misunderstood. He wasn’t hurting me physically, but he was breaking down my ability to believe myself.

Now that I’m single, I catch myself second-guessing people who aren’t even doing anything wrong. My best friend texts slow? I assume she’s mad. A guy says he’s busy? I assume he’s lying. A coworker doesn’t respond immediately? I assume I messed up.

It hit me that maybe the problem isn’t that I don’t trust other people — it’s that I don’t trust me to see things clearly anymore.

I started journaling because I needed a place where I didn’t feel “wrong” for having feelings or questions. Writing honestly became the first space where I didn’t feel judged or manipulated.

Now, I’m learning that healing trust issues isn’t about forcing myself to trust others…
It’s about reminding myself I was never crazy in the first place.