“How are you?” may be the most dishonest social ritual we participate in daily. A sardonic reflection on performative concern, survival-mode conversations, and why most people really only want the short version.
Category: Companion Essays
Emotional Urgent Care
Self-medication is rarely about getting high — it is about getting relief. This sardonic reflection explores trauma, addiction, avoidance, and society’s obsession with feeling better immediately instead of actually healing.
Survival Mode Was Never Meant to Be Permanent
Long-term trauma changes the body as much as the mind. A reflection on hypervigilance, chronic stress, and the exhausting reality of living in permanent survival mode.
Acceptable Addictions
Society only condemns self-medication selectively. Some addictions are labeled destructive, while others are praised as ambition, discipline, or devotion. A sardonic reflection on coping mechanisms, trauma, and the addictions that “photograph well.”