when someone asks you 'how are you', do you tell the truth?
im sincerely asking because i did recieve that kind of message from someone i havent talked nor have seen in quite a long time. i want to tell the truth to ppl who may ask but without rlly going into the specifics because im also a very private person who wants to deal with personal things privately without having to worry much about other people' thoughts or reactions.
im going through a bunch of issues from more than one mental health disorder combined with grief. im rlly wondering what term could i use to let them know im not really doing good or well without being too dark or too intense. should i say simply 'not fine' or maybe 'im currently not in the right headspace', idk can anyone help me out? i want to word it better without it being a super heavy news on them, just enough for them to take a hint that im going through a tough tine mentally and emotionally.
edit: also one of the reasons im having a tough time telling the truth is because all my life im used to masking and these ppl dont know a single thing about it. its one of the reasons why i recieve so much unnecessary expectation from ppl.