What’s Keeping You From Being Your Authentic Self, Based On Your Zodiac Sign

VIRGO (8/23 – 9/22)

The pressure to be better than everyone else.

If there was no one watching you, no one else to compare yourself to, the ways you would choose to spend your time would change drastically. Everything about you, from head to toe, would let out a sigh of relief.

LIBRA (9/23 – 10/22)

The pressure to ‘do it all’.

You make so many plans, your day is divided up down to the minute, creating an unbearable burden to always be rushing to the next thing. It means you’re never fully present, never genuinely reacting to the moment.

SCORPIO (10/23 – 11/21)

The desire to be desired.

You are so focused on what others want to see and hear and feel that you squeeze yourself into these preconceived notions of what’s attractive no matter how uncomfortable a position that may be. 

SAGITTARIUS (11/22 – 12/21)

Misunderstood motivations.

You seek out what you think you want out of life. Adventure and exoticism have their appeal, but the further you go from home, the more languages you hear spoken on a street corner, the clearer it becomes how tired you are of being the outsider.

CAPRICORN (12/22 – 1/19)

The pressure to ‘get ahead’.

You’ve been groomed for the harsh realities of society. You know what to wear, what to say, who to befriend in order to attain the accepted stamps of success. And you’ve been doing it so long, you’ve forgotten that you had any choice in the matter.

AQUARIUS (1/20 – 2/18)

Focusing on others.

You’ve failed to acknowledge or vocalize your own wants or needs because you are too afraid to ask for that kind of attention. You fear being labeled selfish or inconsiderate, instead opting for the safety of putting everyone else’s needs above your own.

PISCES (2/19 – 3/20)

You think you’re smarter than everyone.

A true Lizzy Bennet, no one in the room is ever a match for your wit. You keep your thoughts to yourself, because you think no one is capable of understanding your complex nature, but you also never give them a chance to try.

ARIES (3/21 – 4/19)

A fear of getting hurt.

You never let anyone get close enough to stab you in the back, which means you are always watching life take place from a distance. Friendship, deep familial bonds, and companionship are all things you watch others perform.

TAURUS (4/20 – 5/20)

You’ve been hurt in the past.

When people have treated you like something that’s disposable or replaceable, you come to believe that the only person capable of valuing your true self is you. So you build a golden cage to protect your truest feelings.

GEMINI (5/21 – 6/20)

You haven’t made peace with yourself.

There are parts of your past that don’t quite fit with the present, people’s ideas of who you are that you are still trying to preserve, even if they’re not quite true. You can’t keep up with all of the conflict, and the truth gets lost along the way.

CANCER (6/21 – 7/22)

You’re trying to reinvent yourself.

You hide your true self underneath a version of you you wish you could be. You introduce yourself to everyone to hide how shy you are in crowds. You listen to everyone to hide how hard it is for you to talk about yourself. It’s all a big diversion.

LEO (7/23 – 8/22)

You think people like your reputation better.

You never asked for the kind of attention you get, but it creates this imaginary version of you in everyone’s mind. A projection of who you are and what it’s like to be you that solidifies before a first conversation. Sometimes you just don’t want to burst the bubble.