Why do I feel trapped in my marriage when nothing is obviously wrong?

Mirabai lived in a marriage she didn't choose, and she felt the trap acutely. But her trap wasn't about cruelty or abuse—it was about the slow erasure of self. She sang to escape it. So ask yourself: Can you be yourself in this marriage? Not the acceptable version, not the version that keeps peace—the actual, contradictory, sometimes difficult you. Do you hide your thoughts? Your desires? Your questions? Sometimes the trap is quiet. No one is hitting you, but you've learned not to take up space. You've become small. That's insidious because you can blame yourself for the smallness. But Mirabai teaches us that a true partnership expands both people. Freedom—real freedom—should be possible inside your marriage, not just somewhere you dream about when you're alone. If you're feeling trapped, it's worth asking: What specifically? Is it financial dependence, emotional suppression, lack of autonomy, unmet passion, isolation from your own life? Name it. Then ask if this is what you want to teach your children about love, or what you want for yourself in another thirty years. You don't have to leave to answer these questions. But you do have to ask them.