I finally stopped saying “I’m just tired” when I knew I was not okay

Dear Delyara, It sounds so acceptable. So adult. So manageable. It hides a lot. This week I let myself say the truer thing — to one friend, to my husband, and then to the doctor. That I haven’t just been tired. I’ve been low. Flat. Overused. Strangely far from myself inside my own days. More frightened than I’ve admitted. Less resilient than I usually pretend to be. Saying that out loud made me feel exposed. It also made me feel less alone. Because once I stopped hiding behind the socially acceptable version, real care finally had somewhere to land. That is no small victory. That is the beginning of something much more honest.