Don’t Judge Someone Until You’ve Been in Their Shoes

Image Credit: ©Kelsey Rein

“You don’t look sick.”

“Thank you and you don’t look stupid.”

I might look healthy on the outside, but that doesn’t mean I am healthy on the inside. I might not have a broken bone, I may not have lost a limb, but I am still sick.

If my body was able to show on the outside what I felt like on the inside I would have bruises covering my whole body and be burning alive. I might have bones sticking out, or marks from a knife because I feel like I am being poked and stabbed constantly.

Just like I don’t look sick on the outside, you don’t look stupid on the outside. We all know stupidity is invisible too and the only difference is you can fix stupidity whereas you can sometimes fix chronic pain. You can be as judgmental as you want, but until you are in my shoes you don’t get a say.

You might see me out with friends one night, or at the mall and the next day I cancel plans because I can barely move. It doesn’t mean I’m healthy because for one night I went out and looked good. It just means I either pushed myself, or I was feeling okay for a moment. I can’t sit at home for the rest of my life, but I also can’t do everything everyone else does all the time. It’s a process where I have a fun night or weekend and pay for the next several days.

The same can be said for depression and anxiety. I may always suffer and I know that there will always be someone who will try and break me, but I continue to be forever strong because I don’t have a choice.

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