I still feel embarrassed by how much I need softness on bad days

Dear Delyara, Extra patience. A gentler tone. Fewer demands. Less noise. Less criticism. More room. More slowness. These should be ordinary human needs, especially when someone is tired or low. And yet, in me, they still often arrive wrapped in embarrassment, as if needing softer handling says something weak or childish about my character. I know that belief is wrong. I still feel it. There is something cruel about having to hide how permeable you are while still living inside that permeability every day.