Emotional Regulation

“I refreshed my email three times during dinner because I'm waiting to hear back about the job and I can't be present for anything right now.”

“I've been sitting here for 45 minutes and I haven't written a single word of this essay and I don't know if it's because I'm stuck or because I stopped caring.”

“I smiled and said congratulations when she told me about the promotion and I genuinely don't know if I meant it.”

“I spent $200 I don't have on things I convinced myself were necessities and now I can't sleep.”

“I saw my ex has a new girlfriend and logically I'm fine with it but I went very quiet for the rest of the evening.”

“I watched my little sister get the reaction from mom that I never got for anything I did and I don't know what to do with that feeling.”

“I cried in the bathroom at work and then walked back out and answered a question about Q3 deliverables.”

“I got the grade I needed but it doesn't feel like anything, and that worries me more than getting a bad grade would have.”

“My grandmother asked if I'm happy and I said yes and she looked at me like she didn't believe me and I think she was right.”

“I've been holding this secret for so long that I've started to forget what it would feel like to say it out loud.”

“I got really quiet at dinner when they started talking about traveling and I pretended I was just tired.”

“My coworker got the assignment I wanted and my manager said I was needed more on another project and I smiled like I agreed.”

“My kid had a meltdown at the grocery store and I handled it calmly and then sat in the car and completely fell apart.”

“I've started measuring my worth by how many messages I get in the morning and I know that's not healthy but I don't know how to stop.”

“I've been snapping at my roommate for small things and I know it's not about the dishes.”

“I wrote the apology text and deleted it four times because I want to fix it but I also want them to know how much it hurt.”

“I haven't cried in a long time and I'm not sure if I'm managing better or just further from myself than I used to be.”

“I sent my friend an article instead of saying what I actually wanted to say.”

“I wanted to tell him I missed him but I sent a meme instead.”

“I lie awake and run through everything I have to do tomorrow and then I'm too tired to do any of it when it comes.”

“I'm scared that if I slow down I'll have to feel everything I've been running from and I don't know if I'll be able to get back up.”

“I laughed at something today for the first time in a while and then I felt guilty about it, which tells me something.”

“I'm sitting here trying to figure out if I'm deeply unhappy or just tired, and I honestly can't tell the difference tonight.”