Are you able to show a tired face?

The people who can't say they need help are the ones who smile the most.

Not wanting to worry others, not wanting to make those around you feel burdened.
Because of those feelings, even when you're exhausted, you end up...wearing a mask of a smile.

And then, once you get home, the bill for all the energy you spent maintaining that fake smile hits you all at once, and you're completely drained.

Your smile gradually becomes a blade to deceive yourself, telling you, "I can still keep going."a blade to deceive yourselfas well.
Because I feel like if I'm not smiling, I won't be able to keep moving.

──As a result, I've been misunderstood for a long time.
"You're always smiling, so you're fine, right?"
Behind that, I reached my limit alone many times.

The better someone is at smiling, the more loneliness they are carrying.
In truth, I was at my lowest when I was smiling, but no one could understand that.
If you can't send an SOS, no one will help you.

But you know──
You are not to blame for not being able to ask for help.
You were hurt so many times, and that smile just became armor to protect yourself.
It was a way of surviving that you desperately chose so you wouldn't get hurt any further.

But I think you've done enough already.
Isn't it okay to stop pushing yourself now?

It's okay to show a tired face.
You can entrust your weariness to the world through your expression.

It's okay, people won't actually leave you, and they won't be bothered by it.

Try it out little by little.
The moment you take off your mask of a smile becomes a time to reclaim a little bit of yourself.

Start with small things.
・Just look out the window.
・Exhale deeply while feeling the warmth of a cup in your hands.

Then, gradually.
・Even when there are people around, try stopping yourself from actively initiating conversation.
・Create time to just sit blankly without smiling.
・When you suddenly feel alone, it's okay to try making a bored face.

At first, it might feel forced to you.
Even so, you're probably only acting in a way that people around you won't even notice.
That's how I was.

Before I knew it, it became natural, and it started to reach those around me.
"Are you okay? Are you tired?"
The guilt I felt for making them say that...gradually turned into gratitude.

Then, the heavy stone in my chest suddenly felt lighter.

──Once I was able to take off my mask of a smile, I stopped getting tired so easily.
The backlash from overusing my energy decreased.
Because I didn't have to keep stretching myself anymore.

Above all, it became a message to myself:"You don't have to push yourself."It feels like I'm gradually putting down a load I've been carrying for a long time.
Take it slow, little by little is fine.


Let's take off the armor of a smile.

You've worked more than enough just as you are.So, you don't have to fight anymore.

Eventually, you will meet a version of yourself whose shoulders are completely relaxed.