It is known that when birds are sick, they do everything they can to not appear sick when seen by other animals or birds. When they clearly appear sick to others, that is usually a very dire sign. I think some other animals do the same.

I've written a little bit about feigning wellness in the past in my blog. I know that many people do feign wellness in many circumstances, particularly at work or in front of people they are not closely attached to, like miscellaneous people in public or acquaintances vs. really close friends or loved ones. However, sometimes I feel like I put on a strong face even in front of some people I am close to. Sometimes I even do that when my husband is home, when seeing my therapist, or seeing my psychiatrist. When seeing them, I often seem OK and then when they're gone I'm far from seeming OK. Or they'll only get just a small part of the story.

Sometimes when with other people, I actually do feel a bit better. Sometimes when I'm even home alone I convince myself that I'm better if a moment provides a simple pleasure or I distract myself. And yet, if I really analyze my overall situation, and perhaps look in the mirror, the "not so OK" situation seems clearer. I don't want to scare or concern others, especially if they've had a lot of it in the past. My own acceptance is surely a reason I do that. I just get sick of being unwell. I want to give myself some points for progress, even if it's imaginary. I fool myself sometimes.

I've done the above a lot in my lifetime. When I do clearly show distress in front of others, it is usually quite quite dire. I know that when strangers or people at my past workplaces recognized something was wrong, I was usually in extreme need of psychiatric intervention. I've even been so unwell that I scare myself when home alone. I've finally called for help during extremes.

Do other people do anything like the above-mentioned? Or do you clearly show your mental state/situation accurately at all times? How might I prevent myself from putting on that "feigned wellness" at inappropriate times? I don't want to exaggerate my situation, but I don't want it hidden either. I don't want to let myself seem "too weak", but also not let my situation become too dire before help is sought.