I went through a “hikikomori-like” phase while still having a job after my marriage failed
I’ve been wanting to share this for a while pero hindi ko maayos i-frame without it sounding too extreme.
After my marriage failed, I still had a job, still “functioning,” still showing up and doing what I needed to do. Pero outside of that, parang nag-disappear ako sa life.
I stopped seeing friends. I stopped going out unless kailangan talaga. Even weekends felt like something I just had to survive, not enjoy. I wasn’t unemployed, pero emotionally I was completely isolated. Parang I was existing in a very small box (I work from home).
I later learned about the concept of hikikomori and I don’t want to misuse the term, pero it was the closest description I could find for that kind of withdrawal from life while still technically functioning.
Hindi siya about not wanting people. More like wala akong energy or emotional space for anything beyond getting through the day. Work became the only structure that kept me grounded.
I’m in a better place now, slowly reconnecting again, pero I still think about that phase and how invisible it felt from the outside.
I just wanted to share this in case may ibang dumadaan sa same in-between space pero “okay” tingnan from the outside.