Because of my severe depression and burnout after being diagnosed with a hearing disability, my functioning completely shut down and I lost all my friendships, my romantic relationship and my academic career. I was simply holding so much pain and internalized self-hatred and feelings of worthlessness, that I had no energy to nurture my connections or even take proper care of myself. Messages went unanswered, I quietly disappeared from people’s lives like a ghost, unable to get out of bed, struck down with a complete inability to function like a normal human being. I was carrying the thought of how much I wanted to disappear […]
