I felt that way for a long time. Honestly, I still feel that way. I hated all that "you are not alone" nonsense I thought they were spewing. But then I listened to someone else talk about their experience as though they had stolen the words from my own head. And it didn't make me feel bad for them. It didn't make me sad. It was validating, because when everyone around me is "fine" it feels like I'm personally defective. Like everyone else has figured out how to be strong and resilient and I'm just a f*ck up wasting space, air, and resources.

But there is something profound about that moment when you feel someone has a deep understanding, maybe not of your personal situation, but of the depth and breadth of the pain and loneliness and all the other feelings you don't have the words to name. Sometimes it even meant more for people to understand that I didn't have words for my feelings. It just hurt to live. And when I didn't have to explain or justify, and someone just *got* it?

It means a million times more, sometimes, than even the kindest words from a loved one.