Being private isn’t being fake. Not everyone gets a backstage pass.

Openness gets sold as a virtue with no upper limit, so keeping something to yourself can start to feel like lying. It is not. There is a difference between a mask and a door, and everyone is allowed a door. Who you are with two close friends can be different from who you are in a crowded hallway.

Notice what you share this week just to fill a silence or prove you have nothing to hide. Try keeping one good thing private for a few days. What you do not broadcast tends to stay yours a while longer.