“How Are You?”
I love interacting with my old friends on social media, especially Instagram — more specifically, through my “second” account. People tend to express themselves more freely on their second accounts rather than their main ones.
Whenever I see an interesting post from a friend, I almost always feel the urge to reply. Fortunately, they’ve always responded positively, which makes me smile and brightens my day. These small interactions are truly amazing!
However, I have one concern: when someone extends the conversation with a simple “How are you?” — suddenly, time freezes. I don’t feel like responding. I know it might seem rude, but trust me, it’s just difficult for me. I’m sensitive to this kind of question. It’s a question I genuinely want to know the answer to, and one I wish I could answer honestly.
Unfortunately, when I do manage to reply, I (almost) always lie, giving a “safe” answer to avoid further questions. Ironically, they often respond in the same way — and I really hope their answers reflect how they truly feel.
It’s funny, though, how I can remember at least three friends asking me this question in the past month. But before I could gather the courage to answer, I lost access to my account. Now, there’s no trace of those conversations, and I no longer have the chance to respond.
I know this is a bad habit, and I need to work on it. I’m trying my best not to ignore that question anymore. For now, I’ve set a personal challenge: I won’t let any direct messages go unanswered before I sleep each night. Through this habit, I hope to ensure that none of my friends feel ignored because I didn’t reply.
