malalai khan

I guess that’s the irony of life—or should I say, our society. We ask the usual “how are you” and don’t take anything for an answer other than ‘fine,’ ‘good,’ ‘great.’ This limits people from sharing their thoughts and feelings, and instead they start welling them up. We talk about mental health awareness and then don’t care to realize that the smallest gestures and comments can destroy someone’s emotional well-being. A human mind is not strong enough to bear all the chaos going on, and so we release it in one way or another through catharsis. I firmly believe that no one should go to the extent of having to get therapy, because it shouldn’t happen in the first place. People need to be heard, so they may not break from holding it all inside. Instead, we have fake smiles and little lies just to hide the shadows. A hypocritic society that whitewashes mental health with false, toxic optimism.

So, please don’t ask anyone how they are feeling if you expect an okay. Every. kind. of. feeling. matters. ❤