At work
You stay level in the room where it counts, and nothing you feel spills onto anyone else.
What it costs
Work that needs you visible, and the slow cost of the reply you keep not sending.
How you notice it early
Your replies get later, and then they get shorter.
One thing
Before you close today, send the shortest honest reply to the message you have been leaving.
If you want to show someone
Do not chase. Leave the door open and say it is open.
With the people closest to you
You are safe to be around. Nothing floods anyone.
What it costs
Silence you mean as protection, read by them as leaving.
How you notice it early
The gap since you last replied has become the reason not to reply.
One thing
Tonight, send one line to someone that is not about logistics.
If you want to show someone
Do not read the silence. Send something that needs no reply.
The other seven
Written for you to read about yourself, not for anyone deciding about you. It describes what tends to cost and what tends to feed — it is not a diagnosis, a test, or a medical opinion, and it does not tell you what work to take or who to be with.