There is a kind of loneliness that doesn’t come from isolation.
It comes from being surrounded by people who don’t really see you.
Lately, my mind feels exhausted. Not tired in a way that sleep can fix, but drained from constantly holding things in. I don’t have friends I can genuinely turn to. No one I can call without rehearsing what I’m allowed to feel. Even the people closest to me, my parents, believe in “tough love.” Rules, restrictions, discipline. Emotions are treated like distractions. Feelings are seen as weaknesses. And somewhere in between their intentions and expectations, my inner world gets dismissed.
I’ve […]