I kept saying I was fine because I thought if I said it enough, maybe it would become true. But so many people are doing the same as me, and I was so wrong, because smiling through burnout, functioning through depression, surviving through silence, and being rewarded by how quietly we take on the challenges, is so emotionally exhausting, I have decided to become a little selfish, and so should you, so the next time someone says “are you okay?”, I will be brave enough to start with something like, “I have been overwhelmed lately. Can you sit with me for some time?”, it might be small step, but from my experience with my own emotions and those of others, I know sometimes people who need help are the one who have mastered sounding okay. So, I’ll be brave, and say, “Maybe I am not.”