steady

2 min

Say it out loud to one person

Pick one person. Not the ideal person. The one who'll pick up. Send one of these, in your own words:

Rough week. Don't need advice. Got ten minutes for a call?

Can I tell you something, and you just listen?

Things aren't great. Beer this week?

Tell them what you need up front: "just listen", or "tell me what you'd do". It makes their job easier, and yours.

If nobody comes to mind, that's worth knowing. Start here: Opening up to a friend.

Why this works

Putting a feeling into plain words turns down the brain's alarm response to it. Evidence: decent And a thought said to another person stops growing the way it does when it only circles inside your head.

You're not a burden for asking. People value being contacted more than the sender expects. Evidence: decent

Arrows to move, Enter to open, Esc to close.