what’s the thing you do that you’d be mortified to be caught doing?
there are things you do alone that feel harmless until you imagine someone seeing them. the shame isn't always about the act. sometimes it is about being known that closely.
every day there's one live question, the same for everyone. answer it anonymously, see what other people said. it's all gone in seven days.
answer today's question →think about a thing you do that you would not want anyone to walk in on. it does not have to be dramatic. maybe it is a habit, a ritual, something you say to yourself, something you eat or watch or do when you are alone. write it down plainly. then ask yourself what exactly makes it embarrassing. is it the thing itself, or is it what it reveals about you. write about who you imagine catching you, and what their face would look like. then write about whether you think you actually need to be ashamed of this, or whether it is just private.
- describe the thing you do, step by step, as if narrating it to someone kind.
- write about what this habit gives you that nothing else quite does.
- consider whether the mortification comes from the act itself or from being seen as someone who needs it.
this is for anyone who performs a slightly different version of themselves in front of others and is tired of the gap between the two.