I.

are they thriving? or just trying to survive.. 

the two sides of a story.

II.

on the outside, they are perfect ..

they are perfect, they are fully functioning as some would say.

they are known to power through to get the job done. 

they are outgoing, passionate, and confident. 

they appear outwardly calm and collected, no matter the situation.

they seem to excel at school, at work, at life. 

rather than freezing in fear in front of their class, they seem to propel forward.

they are never nervous, they are never afraid.

they never seem to fail, never seem to disappoint because..

they are perfect, on the outside..

III.

but beneath the surface, they are a mess..

they seem perfect on the outside, but internally they are struggling and fighting.

they face many challenges, challenges that they take on alone.

they overthink and find it impossible to relax and “live in the moment”.

they have obsessive thoughts, minds racing like crazy.

they find it difficult to fall asleep, to wake up.

they binge eat or eat nothing but a bite for the entire day.

they fear failure and judgment, their self-esteem sucks.

they have a desire to stay busy all the time, in hopes to avoid the tears and breaking down.

they are fine though. they can manage.

they are a mess, but beneath the surface...

IV.

they are high functioning anxiety.