When the Click Happened: The Day I Said I Wasn’t Okay

For the longest time, “I’m good, you?” was my auto-reply.

Work had picked up, responsibilities multiplied, and life felt like one long to-do list. Somewhere between deadlines and messages left on ‘read’, friendships became about shared memes and emoji reactions.

And as a psychologist, I knew the importance of support systems. Still, I stayed quiet. “They’re dealing with their own mess,” I’d tell myself. “Why add mine?”

It felt like part of the job holding space for others while managing my own quietly. I’d deal with it, move on, and call it strength.

But then, one day, someone asked, “How are you? ”And something shifted. I didn’t say “good. ”I paused and told them the truth.

It felt awkward. Raw. Like I was handing them something heavy. But they didn’t flinch. They listened. They cared. And in that moment, I realized—I wasn’t alone.

That was the click.

Sharing didn’t make me a burden. It made me feel human. It reminded me that even the strong need soft places to land. That vulnerability doesn’t weaken connection it deepens it.

So this isn’t therapist-me speaking. It’s just me one human to another:

Go to therapy, yes. But also lean into your people. Let them in. Let them hold space. And offer that space back.

Because sometimes healing doesn’t begin in silence It begins when we whisper, “I’m not okay.”