About this quote

Many people who feel numb mistake that numbness for calm. That inner shut-down shows up as flatness, avoidance, or answering with a smile instead of what you actually feel. Try one small move: speak one honest sentence to yourself, jot it down, or tell one trusted person the truth. If even that feels too big, book a short session with a therapist or call a friend and say that single sentence out loud. What will you say first?

When to use it

• After a long performance review where I said nothing, I remembered the line and finally told my manager, 'I'm overwhelmed and need support with this project.'
• At family dinner I kept smiling but closed off; the quote popped into my head and I stepped outside to call my sister and say, 'I haven't been okay lately.'
• Sitting in the doctor's waiting room feeling empty, I used those words to push myself to tell the nurse how flat I'd been feeling.
• On the bench during practice I stayed quiet about my knee pain; afterward I thought of the line and told the coach, 'I've been avoiding telling you because I was scared.'