Nadeem Shah
Bio
Storyteller of real emotions. I write about love, heartbreak, healing, and everything in between. My words come from lived moments and quiet reflections. Welcome to the world behind my smile — where every line holds a truth.
— Nadeem Shah
Stories (129)
Filter by community
The Armor I Didn’t Know I Was Wearing
You never notice the armor at first. It starts as little things—learning how to swallow your emotions so others don’t feel uncomfortable. Cracking jokes when you’d rather cry. Offering support at 3 a.m. even though no one has texted you first in months. Telling yourself, “I’m fine,” because you’re supposed to be the strong one.
By Nadeem Shah 6 months ago in Motivation
When the Strong One Breaks
I was the “strong one.” The dependable sibling, the reliable friend, the go-to coworker. If there was a crisis, I handled it. If someone was falling apart, I held them up. I gave advice. I sent late-night “you’ve got this” texts. I made people laugh when they were crying and carried weight that wasn’t mine because that’s what strong people do, right?
By Nadeem Shah 6 months ago in Motivation
I Carried Everyone Until I Couldn’t Anymore
They came to me when they fell apart. Friends, family, coworkers—even strangers who barely knew me beyond surface-level pleasantries. Somehow, I’d become a magnet for other people’s pain, the go-to person when things got messy. I never asked for the role, but I never rejected it either. Saying “yes” to others felt like proof that I mattered. It gave me purpose. And besides, strong people didn’t need help, right?
By Nadeem Shah 6 months ago in Confessions
The Cost of Being “The Strong One”
By Nadeem Shah “You’re so strong.” “You’ve got this.” “I don’t know how you do it all.” At first, those words feel like praise. Like you're doing something right. You’re dependable. Unshakeable. The go-to person when things fall apart. You become the listener, the fixer, the shoulder everyone cries on.
By Nadeem Shah 6 months ago in Confessions
Strong on the Outside, Silent on the Inside
written By Nadeem Shah They say I’m the strong one. Friends call me when their world is falling apart. I’m the first to arrive and the last to leave. I listen, nod, reassure. I offer rides, cover shifts, lend money I barely have. I remember birthdays, support goals, and say “I’m fine” even when I’m anything but.
By Nadeem Shah 6 months ago in Motivation
"Raised Between Languages"
I was born between words. Not in the sense that I came out speaking, of course—but the moment I learned to say hello, I also had to learn how to say salaam. One word felt round and warm, the other flowing like a whispered river. I didn’t realize at the time that I wasn’t just learning vocabulary—I was learning how to be different people in different languages.
By Nadeem Shah 6 months ago in Confessions
The Man in the Mirror Isn’t Me
The Man in the Mirror Isn’t Me By Nadeem Shah I first noticed it one morning, just after waking up. The bathroom was still shrouded in dawn’s faint blue light, and I stumbled toward the mirror to splash some water on my face. As I looked up, my reflection smiled. But I didn’t.
By Nadeem Shah 6 months ago in Horror
"Moonlight Marke''
The first time I stumbled upon the Moonlight Market, I was seventeen and heartbroken. It was the night of a rare lunar eclipse, and the city had dimmed under a blanket of silence. My feet led me where my heart could not—away from my house, away from the room still echoing with my father’s final voicemail, away from the heavy grief I wasn’t sure I could carry.
By Nadeem Shah 6 months ago in Fiction
