i like to think about taking up space in terms of circles. on a day to day basis, the size of the circle for your basic needs (drinking water, eating food, etc) doesn't really change at all. like, there's no way to minimize those needs without messing up your health (speaking as a formerly dehydrated and constantly hungry person). the circles for the other parts of your life do change- hobbies, work, etc- but also tend to change relatively slowly. when i felt bad about taking up space in the past, i moved my circles away from people-i would journal alone, eat in my car, etc. i was still taking up the same amount of space, but just doing so away from other people. what helped me feel a bit better was gently nudging my circles towards other people again- instead of eating in my car, i would eat lunch on the grass in the park (impromptu picnic), or journal in a cafe. i was still doing the activities alone, but in the same public spaces as other people. it's helpful because there's no pressure from either side to interact, but a lot of wonderful spontaneous interactions do happen that are invited from both sides. it made me feel better about taking up space because i felt like i was part of a broader social fabric, but didn't feel self-conscious about whether i belonged or not. so just keep nudging your circle of needs and hobbies closer to other people's until you overlap :)
