“He: What’s the matter with you?Me: Nothing.Nothing was slowly clotting my arteries. Nothing slowly numbing my soul. Caught by nothing, saying nothing, nothingness becomes me. When I am nothing they will say surprised in the way that they are forever surprised, "but there was nothing the matter with her.”
— Jeanette Winterson
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The heaviest burdens are often the ones we call 'nothing.' 🖤 'He: What’s the matter with you? Me: Nothing. Nothing was slowly clotting my arteries. Nothing slowly numbing my soul. Caught by nothing, saying nothing, nothingness becomes me. When I am nothing they will say surprised in the way that they are forever surprised, "but there was nothing the matter with her."' Have you ever felt like you were fighting a battle no one could see? Let’s hold space for each other in the comments. 👇✨
About this quote
We often use the word 'nothing' as a shield, a way to protect ourselves from the exhaustion of explaining our internal chaos. But as Jeanette Winterson poignantly captures, 'nothing' is rarely empty; it is often the heaviest thing we carry. It is the silent erosion of joy, the subtle numbness that settles in when we stop sharing our truths, and the invisible weight of unexpressed emotions. This quote serves as a haunting reminder that the most profound struggles aren't always loud or visible; they are the quiet tides that pull us under while we appear perfectly still on the surface. The life lesson hidden within this melancholy is a call to radical honesty—both with ourselves and with those around us. Do not allow your silent battles to become your entire identity. Your invisible struggles are valid, and your feelings deserve a voice, even when they feel too heavy to speak. By learning to name our 'nothingness,' we begin the vital process of reclaiming our selves. Don't wait until you feel invisible to start being seen; your healing begins the moment you decide that your truth is worth sharing.
Photo Credit:
Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash
