DAE have a sudden urge to completely disappear when life gets overwhelming, then quietly reappear once everything settles down?
Whenever stress, responsibilities, or mental exhaustion pile up all at once, my immediate instinct isn't to vent or ask for help—it’s to go completely off the grid.
I find myself logging out of every social media account, setting my phone to "Do Not Disturb," and pulling away from group chats. It’s not that I hate anyone or want to cause drama; it’s just that processing heavy emotions feels impossible when there’s constant digital noise and expectation to respond. I just want to retreat into a quiet bubble, recalibrate in complete isolation, and only step back into the world when I feel like a functional person again.
The hardest part is coming back and having to explain to people that I didn't hate them—I was just at capacity. Does anyone else run on this burn-out-and-isolate cycle?