How do I stop hiding my real self at work?

You have a whole self, playful, opinionated, tender, and you leave most of it at the door every morning. The version that goes to work is a good performance, but a performance is tiring to hold, and you have been holding it for years. Of course you are worn out. Some of that filtering is just being professional, and that is fine. But there is a difference between choosing what to share and hiding who you are. The first is judgment. The second slowly convinces you that your real self is a liability. It is not. The warmth and the opinions you keep hidden are often exactly what makes people trust you. You do not have to tear off the costume all at once. Let one true thing through this week, a real opinion in a meeting, a joke you would normally swallow, a moment of softness with a colleague. See what happens. Most people are relieved to meet the actual person. You may be the most relieved of all.