How do you ask for help when everyone in your life already assumes you're fine?
I have reached a stage in my life where everything feels numb and lonely . I am carrying every single heavy negative emotion all at once, drowning under a weight that nobody else can see.
My mental health is gone after that one devastating heartbreak, and it broke something deep inside me i don't miss him anymore but he took all my abilities with him. On top of that, I am struggling deeply with my career. I am currently preparing for an exam, but I feel like I am about to lose my chance again because my mental health is completely wrecked and I am unable to keep going. Watching my future slip into uncertainty while my mind falls apart makes me feel like I am failing while the rest of the world keeps moving forward. I used to have a solid circle of friends, but I slowly built walls and distanced myself from everyone until I had no friends left. I even maintained my distance from my best friend, someone who had been in my life for a very long time, because certain things transpired between us and we barely communicate ANYMOREEEE.
What hurts even more is how my extended family views me. They consider me arrogant simply because I do not talk to anyone. They think my silence comes from pride and assume that my attitude is the reason I am not reaching my goals or becoming successful. I wish someone would tell them what I am actually going through mentally.
I love my parents and my family deeply. I give them ample time and talk to them, and they are truly the only people I interact with since I do not meet anyone else. But sitting with them for more than an hour feels like a pressure cooker, as if I am about to completely burst in front of them. I refuse to let them see my weak side because they have always known me as the strong, brave girl who remains unaffected by everything. They have no idea that behind that mask, I am completely falling apart.
And on some nights, this loneliness is so intense that I just want to escape and run away from this relentless pain. On other days, I crave absolute isolation because my internal energy is melting away, leaving me exhausted, misunderstood, and profoundly alone.
Wearing a mask of strength in front of the people you love is often harder than carrying the pain itself, especially when your silence is mistaken for arrogance.