That’s When Life Gave Me A Mirror

They said university would be a place of discovery, but they never warned us that we’d mostly discover the weight of things. I remember the first time I sat on my hostel floor, unable to cry or scream, just... breathing. Not because anything happened. But because everything was happening. School was happening. Life was happening. My mind was happening.

Nobody told us that mental health isn’t always a crisis; sometimes, it’s quiet drowning. Sometimes, it’s smiling while your chest hosts an invisible thunderstorm. I learned to perform "okay" like theatre. A+ acting. Applause-worthy.

But it was in that silence that life handed me a mirror. Not to fix my face, but to see myself. And not run.

Healing hasn’t been loud. It's been sitting with myself. Naming pain. Naming peace. Naming who I want to become.

And somehow, I am still here. Blooming.

DandelionPrecious from MANI