Hey, kid – you have had like five peanut butter crackers, half a granola bar, half a banana, some coffee, and like three sips of water today. It’s 4:30PM. You walked at least seven miles in blue jeans and you listened to sad music the entire time. You did not sleep much yesterday evening because you were too busy having Symptoms and going red string conspiracy theory mode re: your own life.

If this was a video game, your health/mana stats would be in the red. Your ability to function has slowed down for reasons that make a lot of sense. You’re only writing right now because it’s a compulsion, not because it’s a good idea.

You do not need to create an elaborate narrative using the people in your life as characters in order to explain the way you feel right now. You need to drink a glass of cold water, rinse off the grime from walking in the sun, make a meal, and curl up under some heavy blankets with a good book. If you want to entertain narratives after that point, then you may.

Jfc