How are you?
Most anxious people have a knee-jerk reaction to say "good" or "everything's fine", but even as your brain processes the question, you can't help but fight the existential dread. It's just a pleasantry, but when you really dig deep into the question itself, the answer most certainly is not a jolly one. So instead of telling the grocery store clerk how your life is falling apart, you're underpaid at work, and your anxiety is currently spiking, you robotically answer like we all do– with a lie! A white lie is perfectly okay every now and again in order to keep the peace, so why do people even bother asking how we're doing? Don't overthink this too much, but perhaps it's because the pleasantries are better than stone-cold silence.
Before you get too wrapped up in thinking about your honest answer for the simplest, most common question you'll hear today, perhaps you should give your therapist a call and confirm that appointment you've been putting off. They'll certainly fish for an answer that we can all giggle about when we laugh at ourselves. To take yourself a little less seriously, check out last week's batch of highly anxious hilarity. With these anxiety memes, you can snicker to yourself while you chill in the waiting room at your therapist's office.