UNSPOKEN REALITIES

WHY CAN'T YOU JUST BE OK?

Other people's words slip in like thorns, sharp and precise, embedding themselves deep where the pain already has roots.

"Why can't you just be okay?"

becomes a repetitive refrain, an echo reverberating in my mind, amplifying guilt and misunderstanding. It's not that I haven't tried. I've counted the reasons to be grateful, forced my lips to curve into empty smiles, and drank all the water that the world says will cure my discomfort. I've sought peace in others' words, in the silences of nature, in pauses that promise calm. But the storm inside me doesn't calm with gratitude lists or yoga sessions; it doesn't dissipate with a walk under the sun or the empty formulas of self-help that don't understand.

I'm told that I'm the problem, that I'm not trying hard enough, that there's always someone worse off.

Those words are like bricks, building walls that isolate me even more. They make me feel that my sadness is a burden no one wants to carry, that my anxiety is a nuisance others must endure in silence. I become a problem to be solved, a never-ending repair project.

And every time someone gives me unsolicited advice, every "have you tried..." is a reminder that my struggles are seen as mere attitude mistakes, as if it were so easy to turn around the darkness with an imaginary switch.

The weight of being misunderstood crushes me, pushes me inward, where words of comfort feel empty and gestures of support are just reminders that no one sees the true battle. I don't need more advice, more empty solutions, or recycled phrases that minimize what I carry inside. I need to be seen, heard, understood unconditionally, without being asked to be something I'm not. Because it's not about not having tried; it's about how not all attempts are visible, and not all efforts feel like victories.

Sometimes, the greatest act of bravery is simply continuing to breathe, despite the whispers of misunderstanding that surround me.