Symptoms include:
- Saying “I’m fine”
with a voice that sounds like drowning. - Rehearsing conversations you’ll never have.
- Forgetting what happiness feels like—
no, seriously, what did it feel like? - Crying over a commercial,
then feeling nothing 5 minutes later. - Being too tired to shower
but too anxious not to. - Hating your body
but forgetting it exists. - Scrolling for connection—
then muting everyone who breathes too loudly. - Flinching when the phone rings.
- Cancelling things you wanted.
- Cancelling things you needed.
- Sitting in the dark
because light feels like pressure. - Calling it “a funk”
so no one panics. - Laughing at memes about mental illness
then staring at the wall
for three hours. - Eating the same three foods on rotation.
- Calling cereal a meal.
- Calling getting out of bed a victory.
- Calling yourself a burden
when no one texts back. - Imagining your own funeral
like a bedtime story—
then brushing your teeth
because death feels too dramatic
and you already did one thing today.