The fake smile at work hit different after I tried the 5 minute rule

I work in an office where everyone pretends they love Monday mornings. For months I'd force a grin and say 'great weekend' when I actually spent Sunday dreading the alarm. Then last month I started this thing where I take 5 minutes before walking in to just sit in my car and admit I'm not okay. No fixing, no journaling, just letting myself feel annoyed or tired or whatever. It sounds stupid but that tiny moment of honesty made the fake smile later feel less heavy. Has anyone else found a weird little ritual that helps you fake it better?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_harris2d ago

Admitting you're not okay for 5 minutes doesn't really change anything though.

angela_harris1d ago

Had a friend who kept it all bottled up until he snapped at his wife over nothing. He started just saying "I'm having a rough day" out loud, and @bennett.evan is right, it stopped a lot of dumb fights before they happened. Doesn't fix everything, but it buys you a minute to not make it worse.

bennett.evan2d ago

Admitting you're not okay for 5 minutes doesn't really change anything though" - wait, did you just say that like it's nothing? That's like saying taking a breath doesn't help when you're drowning. For me, even saying "I'm not okay" out loud for 30 seconds has literally stopped me from making dumb decisions I'd regret later. It's not about fixing everything in those five minutes, it's about breaking the spiral before it gets worse. Like, if you're about to crack, just naming it out loud can be the difference between sending that angry text or not.