Bad habits
How to Overcome Loneliness Even When You’re Surrounded by People
I didn’t realize loneliness wasn’t about being alone — it was about feeling unseen. And some of the loneliest moments of my life happened when I was surrounded by people who had no idea what was going on inside me.
By Aman Saxena2 months ago in Confessions
What Wicked Reminded Me About Life, Friendship, and the Dreams We’re Still Fighting For
Monday night Blu and I finally got to go to an early viewing of Wicked: For Good — something I actually signed up for months ago on Amazon Prime. They had an early-release option where Prime members could register for a chance to get tickets, but it wasn’t guaranteed because they were limited and expected to sell out fast. I signed up anyway, crossed my fingers, and about a month ago got the notification that they were available. I grabbed two immediately. Ever since we went, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Until last year, I honestly wasn’t a fan of Wicked. I didn’t know much about it, and someone once told me it was basically a Wizard of Oz “remake,” so I judged it way too quickly. (And honestly, if someone had just told me Kristin Chenoweth was Glinda in the Broadway show, I probably would have gone to see it immediately.) Wizard of Oz was huge in my life — part of my childhood and part of my family. That famous Glinda line, “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?” felt freeing even as a kid. I loved witches and never understood why people acted like they were automatically bad. I always wondered how they got that way. I was a little rough around the edges growing up, but I never lashed out without a reason. That’s just not who I am. I’m a live-and-let-live person. So if a witch was acting out, I wanted to know what pushed her there. But no one wanted to explore Oz that deeply with me. Either they didn’t get it, or they thought I was trying to talk my way out of trouble — which wasn’t true. I never cared if I got in trouble for defending myself. My parents always knew if I was involved in something, someone else started it. Those nights usually ended with ice cream or a new Barbie. But if I started something? That was different. They warned me they’d melt all my Barbies. I believed them. One time my mom said if she had to ask me to do something again, she’d cut my Barbie’s hair off. I tested her. She grabbed my dad’s electric razor and shaved Barbie bald. I never tested her again. Barbie hair was everything to me.
By Wren Kirk2 months ago in Confessions
The Girl Who Appeared in My Dreams Before I Ever Met Her
[by mazkaz] I never believed in strange coincidences, and I definitely never believed in destiny. But everything changed the night I saw her—not in real life, but in a dream so vivid it felt like someone had opened a window into another world.
By Muzzakir Khan2 months ago in Confessions
The Morning I Realized I Was Burned Out
I didn’t collapse. I didn’t cry. I didn’t break down dramatically, the way burnout is often described in movies. My exhaustion showed up quietly — in small ways I kept ignoring until one morning I couldn’t outrun the truth anymore.
By Aman Saxena2 months ago in Confessions
What Finally Helped Me Calm My Mind
I’ve spent most of my life inside a noisy brain. Even on days when the world outside felt calm, the world inside me never quite matched it. My thoughts ran like overlapping voices, each one trying to grab my attention. Even small decisions — what to eat, who to text back, whether to start a task now or later — spiraled into twenty more thoughts I didn’t ask for.
By Aman Saxena2 months ago in Confessions
I promise I’ll resign
While working on a project with a colleague, we stumbled on a road block, we had to figure out how to deal with a problem, and it seemed we had divergent opinions on the matter. He was the head of the project and ultimately the final person to decide, but this wasn’t in a corporate setting where the word of the boss is final. It was more in a social setting where he needed to get everyone on board with his plan.
By real Jema2 months ago in Confessions
The Day I Realized My Family Didn’t See Me
I have always loved my family. They are the people I grew up with, shared meals with, celebrated holidays with, and turned to in times of need—or so I thought. But the truth is, I often felt invisible among them, like my presence didn’t matter, like my thoughts, feelings, and dreams were background noise in a house full of voices.
By Shakil Sorkar2 months ago in Confessions
The Secret Battle I’ve Been Fighting in Silence
I’ve always been the one who smiles, laughs, and tries to keep life light for everyone around me. From the outside, it looked like I had everything under control. Friends, family, even strangers probably thought I was confident, happy, and “put together.” But behind that smile was a secret—a relentless, invisible battle I never wanted anyone to see: anxiety.
By Shakil Sorkar2 months ago in Confessions
The Thing I Pretend Doesn’t Bother Me (But Actually Does)
I’ve always prided myself on being easygoing, the type of person who goes with the flow. I laugh off small annoyances, shrug off mistakes, and tell myself that everything is “fine” even when it isn’t. On the surface, it looks like I have it all together. But behind that smile is a truth I rarely admit: I’m tired of pretending that certain things don’t bother me—because they do.
By Shakil Sorkar2 months ago in Confessions
