Whenever someone asks us, “Hey, how are you?”                                  Most of us reply with, “I am fine,” even when, in reality, we are not.  You are sad. You are suffering silently, smiling through stress, and moving through life carrying unspoken heaviness.                                      But why is it so hard to simply say, “I am not okay”? Why is it hard to express our emotions?

Many times, we wear a mask to hide what we feel. We constantly fear being judged by others. We don’t want to burden someone with our sadness. In this thinking, we never express ourselves.

Whenever we are not fine—maybe it's because of exams, work, or personal struggles—we want to share our feelings with someone else. But we do not.

Sometimes there’s a happy occasion in the family, and you don’t want to burden them or ruin the entire family’s mood just because of you. Many times, we pretend to be okay in front of family and friends, though we are not okay from within.

I even remember I gave a competitive exam back then, and I prepared hard enough for that exam. I gave my 100 percent in my studies. There were sleepless nights and pure hard work. Then the exam came. At the start, the exam was going great. I was able to solve all the questions. But I was so engaged in solving the questions that I didn’t know how time passed. And the screen went blank, and then I realized I missed 21 questions in the exam. I gave so much for that exam and still made such a huge mistake.

I was devastated. When I came out of the exam hall, I still remember my mother was standing in the corner with a smiling face.   c                    But seeing her, I didn’t say anything. I lied that it went great.                    Every day, I used to think of those unanswered questions.                        Every day, I used to pretend I was okay, even though I was not okay from within.

"I didn’t cry when I was struggling. I smiled even more. I told myself it was a strength. But deep down, I was exhausted from pretending. Until one day, I just couldn’t anymore."

Then I opened up to my closest friend. She encouraged me. She reminded me of my potential.                                                                          She motivated me and reminded me to remember that you are more than any exam.                                                                                                    It felt so good, and my life felt lighter.                                                            It felt like someone had reduced the weight I was carrying.                      I am still so grateful to the friend who was there for me in my hard times.

If I had not shared this experience with anyone before the result, I would have had to face some issues with my health.                                After all these incidents, I came to know the importance of opening up.                                                                                                                        To say that I am not okay. To stop pretending to be happy.                 

When, for the first time after so many days of the exam, I opened up to my friend, felt like I was being honest with myself.                                    It not only helped me to maintain my mental peace, but it also helped me see who I really am.                                                                                      It made me realise that people don’t want the perfect version of you, just the real you.                                                                                                It's okay to express your feelings to your people. They are not going to judge you, but only going to make it better.

I have realised that pretending to be okay is not a strength, but it’s the biggest weakness in your life.                                                                      For a long time, I thought showing emotions made me weak. I believed that if I kept smiling, the pain would eventually disappear. But I was wrong. All it did was bury the truth deeper inside me.

Now I am learning to be kind to myself. To say “I am not okay” loudly without any guilt.                                                                                                To rest without apology. To feel deeply, cry freely, and not pretend when I’m struggling                                                                                          I’ve learned that vulnerability isn’t weakness—it’s the purest form of courage.

We live in a world that constantly says, “Be strong,” “Be okay,” “Stay positive.”                                                                                                            But the bravest thing we can do is to pause, take a deep breath, to feel, and simply say, “I need a moment.”

If you’re not okay today, that’s okay.                                                              You don’t have to wear a smile to be worthy.                                            Just be real with yourself. That’s more than enough.

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