Pressure to 'be ok'

You want me bright and shiny, not honest and real

I feel like I have to be all bright and shiny

Pretend life’s controlled; put together, flat tidy

But there’s the real me creeping out,

Not part of the okayness veneer

Disconnection for life - shamed, and blamed, Riley

I mask the truth and what’s going on inside Crushed by weight of my expectation

Losing roles openly on what it truly means to thrive

Doing nothing as afraid to be honest, afraid to admit to me, afraid to do anything at all

People want ‘I’m good’ ‘fine’ - easy and comfortable

‘You’re no good’ feeds my internal dialogue

I teach myself to stay small

No one needs my mental health’s empty nutrition

They want happiness, contentment, a contagious joy

Creating only a world that is wanted

When it was what society asked for, how can my masking be a ploy?

Making others comfortable

Rejecting development and wondering why you complain

It’s impossible to say ‘life is hard’

Can’t put fingers on the emptiness

And too exhausted to explain

Image credit: Canva

(You only want flowers and sunshine)