one thing i've been thinking about lately is that a lot of the things that are viewed as a sign of a person Not Doing Well are actually the healthy coping mechanisms for when things aren't going well. like crying about something is healthier than repressing it, listening to sad music helps you process your feelings, cutting your own hair is a low-stakes way to change up your life and claim agency over yourself, and in this case getting chinese takeout instead of cooking is a perfectly reasonable choice if you've had a bad or tiring day. movies will show a character eating takeout alone after a miserable day of work as if that's the sad ending to their day but the takeout isn't the sad part, the sad part is the day itself. it's mistaking the bandage for the wound
