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Letters From My Mind

The Permission to Lean In

Is it okay if I start leaning a little more into my diagnosis?

It’s been four years since I was diagnosed, and for most of that time, I’ve done everything I could to distance myself from it. I treated it like a side trait — something minor, something manageable — like if I just ignored it enough, it would stay quiet. But lately, nothing makes sense. Or maybe, everything has stopped pretending to make sense.

And I’ve slowly come to realise that nothing will make sense until I understand my nervous system. Until I stop resisting and start accepting. Until I fully lean in. Until I embrace this diagnosis — not as a limitation, but as a map.

I didn’t lean in earlier because I was scared. Scared that if I accepted it, I’d use it as a crutch. That I’d start excusing my behaviour with it, that it would define me, swallow me, and become my whole personality. I didn’t want to be a walking diagnosis. I didn’t want to be the wreck I feared I was.

And if I’m being honest, it’s also because of how misunderstood all of this still is — especially here. People are just starting to grasp what depression is. Anxiety is beginning to be taken seriously. But anything beyond that? It’s like speaking a language no one around you understands. You say “emotional dysregulation” and they hear “dramatic.” You say “fear of abandonment” and they hear “clingy.”

So I’ve been carrying this quietly — because I didn’t want to be seen as mentally ill. I didn’t want to wear that label.

But does this diagnosis make life harder? Sometimes, yes.
Does it make me feel broken? Often.
Is it okay to not be okay?
I’m trying to believe that it is.

Because this weight I carry — this invisible thing that suffocates, pulls, claws at my sense of safety — it’s real. And I’m tired of pretending it’s not.

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Burnt Out, Still Breathing

How has it been months since I last wrote?


It honestly shocks me. Writing was my anchor—my way of coping, healing, surviving. Not being able to write has felt like a slow erosion of my identity, like I’ve been silently mourning parts of myself.

As always, I had planned to clear my drafts before the new year. Start fresh. But right before the new year, everything fell apart. I went through some of the worst online harassment I’ve ever faced. It left me bed-ridden, in shock. Something I loved—someone I was—felt attacked. And from people I once felt safe with. That betrayal broke something in me. And it didn’t stop there—it just kept getting worse. So I retreated. I stopped being vulnerable. I stopped writing. I stopped making sense of my emotions. It felt pointless.

November was rough too. Honestly, it all started unraveling around August. I wanted it to be a beautiful season—new beginnings, maybe even love. And yes, I did fall in love. But I wasn’t loved back—not in the way I deserved. I was told I was loved, but I never really felt it. Everything I experienced said otherwise. Still, I held on. I compromised, I bargained, I hoped—until I nearly lost myself. Actually, I did. That relationship left me with wounds I’m still learning to name. And what hurts most is that I silenced myself for someone else. I didn’t write about what I went through because I wanted to protect them. And in doing that, I betrayed me. I don’t remember half of what happened, but my body does. It’s strange—how trauma lingers in muscles and skin, even when the mind forgets.

Then came February. And it was brutal. Shattered glass, wilted flowers—everything I once loved felt destroyed. I had started detaching in January, little by little. I knew I had to. That relationship was tearing me apart. And detaching—choosing myself—that was hard. I kept slipping back, reasoning with myself, battling emotions with logic. But one day, I said it: It’s over.

I ended it. I burned the bridge. Because I knew if I didn’t, I might walk back. And I couldn’t afford to. I had finally chosen myself. But life doesn’t slow down to let you process. Almost immediately, someone new appeared. Too soon, really. But I was so drained from the last relationship, I didn’t feel like grieving. I just wanted to be happy. And when he said he’d make me happy, I jumped. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was vulnerable. I was still the hopeless romantic who wanted to believe in good endings. But right before my birthday, that too fell apart. He wasn’t who he said he was.

And yet, I wouldn’t let him ruin my birthday.
I told myself no man was worth that.

Then my birthday came. My ex resurfaced, asking for another chance. And there I was—a girl just trying to be happy. So, I gave in. Not because I was healed, not because I had clarity, but because I was tired. I didn’t even get the time to grieve what had ended. But grief doesn’t wait. It caught up with me. It always does.

And now, here I am.
Burnt out.

All I want to do is sleep. Nothing excites me. There’s a void inside me that dulls everything around me. The joy is gone. And yet, I’m overwhelmed by responsibilities I can’t escape. I’m too tired to keep up appearances, too drained to keep every commitment. But I’m still trying. Maybe not as much as I used to. But with whatever I have left.

And that has to be enough for now.

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Lord knows I’ve been in love before. I’ve cried on the mat, tears streaming down my face, fully distraught, praying for callbacks and text messages, praying they’d find love in their hearts for me as I had for them. So why is it that, after all that, this time feels like I’m in love for the very first time?

I never tire of his presence. I’ve been in love before, but I’ve never met someone whom I didn’t need time to recharge away from. Usually, after a few days, I’d need to come home and have time to myself, but with him, it feels like he’s a part of me. Being with him is as enjoyable as my own company, if not better. Oh, I think—they call this love?

We fight, but he forgets it quickly. My attitude blows over, and I surrender to his love. I can’t even stay mad at him. I care for him so deeply that I understand him to his core. Every step he takes, even if in the wrong direction sometimes, I understand where his heart comes from. Before he loved me, before all of this, he was human first, and I’m in love with all his flaws, just as he loves mine. He actually said it to me one day, and I thought—that’s wonderful.

There’s little I wouldn’t do for this man. He’s the exception to every rule.

Now, am I worried I might end up hurt? Terrified, to be honest. But sometimes I sit back and think, this moment is worth it. I’ve found little happiness in this world, and he makes me immensely happy. That’s more valuable than anything.

And how funny is it, that it took me forever to feel sure about people, about commitment, to feel certain I would love them every day—until I met him. With everyone else, I always wondered, even if I felt deeply for them in the moment, if I’d still love them the next day. Rarely did I find the faith in myself that I would, and often, I lied to myself and struggled through days when I didn’t feel the same way. I accepted that this is how relationships worked—that you didn’t love them every day, that some days you pretend. I was always in awe of the couples who made their relationships last through years, as mine barely lasted one.

But with him, I can’t imagine a day when I won’t love him. It just happened, without much effort. Maybe that’s what falling in love really is—one day you just fall, and everything is different. All the rules and expectations you had of love crumble because it’s nothing like you thought it would be; it’s better. In a way you can’t quite describe—it’s just better. And I pray I never lose this love.

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Hi, let’s try to write something raw, right from my heart.

Lately, my inspiration to write has been rather dull. I think learning harsh realities of the world has left me feeling drained. On one hand, it has made me want to hide, to not be so vulnerable here, maybe even use it as my power, but then, for what? That’s one thing I’ve always stood against. It might not have been the right way, but shying away from my authenticity feels like a betrayal. Hiding parts of who I am, or stopping myself from doing the things I love, feels equally defeating. It doesn’t fill my soul—it starves me.

Life lately though, has been insane. Not in a chaotic way—I’m rather calm, thanks to my SSRIs.

Deep down, I know I deserve better. I know I deserve to be loved, cared for, and looked after. I know I deserve the things my heart desires. But every time all of these things come knocking on my door, I turn them down. They never reach my heart. And again, I can’t live a lie, even if that lie would provide all the things I’ve ever dreamt of—except maybe love, because the heart is the hardest to convince, even when the mind knows better.

I’ve been cutting myself down, enduring things I shouldn’t, all in the name of excitement. I’ve been bored for too long, and this feels exciting. It might be love too. But I can’t admit that love could make me feel so low at times.

Love doesn’t make you question yourself. Love doesn’t make you jealous of other women. But then, that’s on me for believing a married man.

Once you’ve felt safe, you immediately recognize when you don’t. I’ve felt safe once in my life, and I’m afraid I will forever long for that feeling again. But goodbyes were said, and now I settle for whatever my heart craves, even if it’s chaos. If it makes me feel alive, I’ll choose it.

I don’t think my “person” is out there. It’s a feeling I’m searching for, not a person, and I’m spending my whole life longing for it, yet mostly being fine without it. I think I’ve been broken in so many ways that nothing fazes me anymore. My friend said that today. I think she might be right. I allow it all. I even laugh at it. Maybe because the pieces of my heart have been broken for so long, and the people who promised to heal me only tortured the damaged pieces in the name of love.

But let’s be honest: I won’t ask a man to stay. I believe in the flow of life, and I can only be with someone who chooses me in the end.

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Tum ne mere jism ko chaha,
Naadan thi main, yeh samjhi ke tum mohabbat karna chahte ho.

Main khwab dekhti rahi mohabbat ki,
Par haqeeqat kuch aur hi thi.

Tumhari nazar mein sirf jism tha,
Meri rooh ki tumhein qadar na thi.

Aaj samajh aayI hai mujhe,
Tumhari chahat mein khuloos na tha.

Tum ne mere jism ko chaha,
Naadan thi main, yeh samjhi ke tum mohabbat karna chahte ho.

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I’ve been treating this like rehab,
Rehabilitating myself from you.
Learning to unlearn your touch,
To not be affected by your absence,
To not crave, want, miss you.

It’s been hard, the first few days,
I nearly give up, but I hang on.
The struggle is raw, the nights long,
Yet I see it clearly now,
You were always going to be damaging,
Because of how deeply I felt towards you.

I strip away each memory,
Piece by piece, like peeling old paint,
Revealing the scars beneath,
Acknowledging the hurt.

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It makes no sense, you’re barely here,
Why must I want you, when there’s nothing clear?

You give me nothing, no reason to stay,
Yet I’m so afraid you’ll slip away.

I’m scared of losing what I never possessed,
Hopes of us had me addicted, obsessed.

For a love I now see will never be,
Goodnight, beautiful one, I set you free.

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It’s time to lay you to rest,
I don’t know why I tried, it’s clear we failed the test.

I knew from the start we were doomed,
But I prayed our love would bloom.

Like a fool, I waited by the door,
Hoping you’d come back once more.

I still hoped despite your distance,
You gave me crumbs, but they felt like existence.

So I say goodbye, you’ve torn me apart,
Starving the love right out of my heart.

Heartbroken in May,
All my dreams were illusions, fading away.

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One day in March,
Thursday over lunch.

My heart skipped a beat,
Longing for your touch.

I must’ve been dreaming,
For it felt too surreal, this feeling.

How could I want you so quickly,
When we’d only just met, briefly?

I prayed it would fade,
Like memories unmade.

Yet here I wait, even now,
Longing for more somehow.

Help, I’m still at the restaurant,
You’re still the one I want.

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