There is a specific kind of silence that happens when you’re chronically ill but look “fine.” It’s the silence of people watching you struggle and deciding you’re just lazy. It’s the sharp, jagged edge of a family member calling you “useless” because you can’t make it to a Sunday dinner, or the cold indifference of…
hyper-independence
The Exhaustion of Being the ‘Strong One’: Why You Don’t Have to Carry It All
You’ve been the strong one for so long that you don’t even remember what it feels like to lean on someone else. You’re the person everyone calls in a crisis. The one who holds it together when everything falls apart. The one who can handle…