Before You Hit Send

 

I’m not sure how to say this 

I’ve been meaning to speak up 

But I didn’t want to make this a thing 

 

I’m showing up, I’m doing my job 

But it’s getting harder to hold the smile, the thinking, the pressure, the energy it takes to seem okay 

I don’t need a big fix. I’m not trying to make this anyone else’s problem 

I just don’t know how much longer I can do this quietly 

I don’t know who to send this to 

 

So, it’s staying in drafts. Even in quieter months like August, the weight doesn’t always lift. 

 

You’ve read the email 

You’ve felt some version of it, in yourself, in someone else, or just in the air at work. 

 

 

You press on 

You delete the draft  

Power through 

You say to yourself you’ll raise it if things get worse (you hope they never will) 

 

Nothing breaks 

But nothing shifts either 

You’re present, but not fully showing up as yourself 

Another week passes by quietly 

 

 

Option 2:  

You talk to someone, just one person 

A colleague, a manager 

A quiet conversation that says, “I’m not okay, but I’m not falling apart either.” 

 

It feels awkward at first 

But something lifts 

You feel seen, heard and valued 

You’re offered space and understanding 

It’s not fixed, but it’s no longer silent 

 

 

Option 3:  

Someone notices before you say anything, 

They check in, genuinely 

Not as a performance, but because they sensed the shift 

They give you permission without needing details 

 

You still haven’t sent the email 

Because you don’t need to anymore 

 

 

 

AT RTSC we offer, on-site space for conversations that don’t need a title. No pressure or performance. 

Just someone who listens, before small challenges develop 

 

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