She said it so quietly, I nearly missed it.
She said that she didn’t want to bother anyone.
That she tends to keep things to herself.
That it often feels easier not to go into it all.
And I hear this a lot. I catch myself doing it too.
Saying how things really are can feel unfamiliar.
A bit awkward, like it might be too much for someone else to hear.
So it gets pushed down, folded away.
There’s a kind of emotional tidiness many women learn to maintain.
And while it can look like strength, it often comes with a cost. You start to notice it in small ways.
A shorter fuse than usual.
That tired-but-wired feeling. Restless exhaustion.
And sometimes, yes — in the way alcohol becomes part of the routine.
To create a bit of distance, bury feelings, or soften the edges.
When women tell me they want to change the way they’re drinking, this is often where we begin.
Not with the alcohol itself.
But with the part of them that hasn’t had space to speak.
So a question for this week: What have you been carrying that you haven’t said out loud, even to yourself?