A minute spent being watched can feel longer than an hour spent unnoticed.

Being watched changes the texture of time. Under observation, attention turns back on itself, and every small movement acquires a second life as something being seen, which slows the minute and thickens it. Unobserved, you sink into what you are doing and the hour disappears. It is not the length that differs but the self-consciousness carried through it.

If something feels unbearable in front of others and manageable alone, that is useful information rather than weakness. Practise the hard thing where nobody is looking, so the difficulty is only the task. And when you are the one watching someone struggle, looking slightly away is often the kindest form of help.