Depression already feels like carrying a heavy backpack no one else can see. You wake up tired. Everyday tasks feel like climbing a mountain. And then, on top of that, you wear the mask: smiling at work, making small talk, telling friends “I’m fine.”

Pretending doesn’t protect you. It drains you. Every false smile, every swallowed truth, every moment you say you’re fine when you’re not, those are leaks. And over time, those leaks bleed you dry.

In this episode of I’m Fine, But My Depression Isn’t, we go deeper into the exhaustion behind the mask and uncover the shadow truth: that pretending to be fine is a form ofself-abandonment. It’s not just hiding pain, it’s rejecting your own reality.

You’ll learn:

· Why the mask adds to depression’s fatigue

· How to spot where your energy is really going

· A one-week “energy honesty check” to uncover your leaks

· How to create one safe place where you don’t have to be fine

Honesty is lighter than hiding. And you deserve to set some of the weight down. If this resonates and you’re ready for deeper support, you can connect with me at www.susiebower.com or on Instagram @susie_bower_

How many times have you said “I’m fine” when inside you were anything but? For many of us living with depression, those words are easier than admitting the truth. They protect us from judgment, rejection, or feeling like a burden. But they also keep us stuck in silence.

In this episode, we talk about what “I’m fine” really means for both women and men, how it shows up in everyday life, and why it’s so dangerous to keep wearing the mask.

Depression doesn’t disappear when the conversation ends, it lingers, waiting in the quiet.

In this episode you’ll discover:

• Why “I’m fine” is really code for “I don’t feel safe enough to tell the truth”

• How silence teaches us to devalue our own emotions

• The shadow side: how pretending erodes self-worth over time

• Two powerful steps to begin breaking the silence, starting with yourself

You don’t have to broadcast your pain to everyone. But you do need a safe space to stop pretending. Depression loses power when it’s met with honesty and connection instead of secrecy.

If this resonates and you’re ready to explore deeper healing, I’d love to support you. You can reach me directly at http://www.susiebower.com or on Instagram @susie_bower_

Do you have a fear that is so paralyzing that it stops you from living your life? It's taken me over 5 years to work on my fear. This was an emotional episode for me to record because of how deeply my fear removed me from my family and kept me from sharing such special memories with my family.I finally decided I was no longer going to sit and watch. My biggest improvement and realization happened during a transformative breathwork session. For the first time, I realized the impact of what this trip meant for me and overcoming my fear.I'm still a work in progress, but fear will no longer hold me back. I want to help you have this same feeling. It's powerful, and I know you can do this too!

For more information about the transformative breathwork I was talking about in this episode, please visit my website