c/depression·Posted by u/maya_patel·8h ago

How do you answer how are you at work when the honest answer would stop the conversation?

The elevator this morning. A guy from accounting I barely know said 'how are you' while we both watched the floor numbers. I said 'good, you?' because that is the script. I was not good. I had stared at the shower for a while and then put on yesterday's socks. If I had said 'tired' he would have had to do a face. If I had said the real thing the doors would have opened on the fourth floor into a silence I cannot afford. I got to my desk and felt like I had lied to a stranger about weather. I do not want a speech in the elevator. I also do not want to keep saying good like I am a recording. What do you actually say that is true enough without turning 8:42 into a scene?

Peer discussion on askDr.app. Not therapy and not a substitute for professional care.