Sometimes courage is just saying “I’m not okay” to someone who asked like they meant it.

Most of the time the question is a formality, and the honest answer would feel like an imposition, so everyone says fine. Occasionally somebody asks differently, with their attention actually on you, and that turns out to be the harder moment. Telling the truth there means letting someone see something you have been carrying on your own.

If someone asks you like they mean it, you are allowed to answer. It does not have to be the whole story, just one true sentence about how the week has gone. If you are the one asking, ask twice and leave the silence open long enough for a real answer.