Maybe She's Born With It, Maybe It's Anxiety

On faking it

Photo by Sydney Sims

Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline. Remember that commercial? I always found it off-putting, a perpetuation of how we’re all encouraged to attempt to make our lives seem effortless, when in reality most of us are barely staying afloat.

MAYBE SHE’S BORN WITH IT

or maybe it’s anxiety. 
maybe it’s imposter syndrome. 
maybe it’s the relentless perfectionism 
of being a first born daughter. 
maybe it’s disassociation. 
maybe it’s addiction.
maybe it’s the bone crushing
grind of capitalism. 
maybe it’s an eating disorder. 
maybe it’s ADHD. 
or maybe it’s the crippling fear 
of never being enough. 

About a month ago, I shared this poem with my Instagram writing community and was overwhelmed by the response, people commenting or reaching out to me directly to share how much it resonated. The extent to which so many of our lives appear effortless when in reality what’s driving our performance comes at a cost to our physical and mental well-being.

The dark realit…